Comments on: Texas (ERCOT) cuts 1100 MW of power to interruptible customers when the wind stopped blowing http://northbynwa.com/2008/02/27/texas-ercot-cuts-1100-mw-of-power-to-interruptible-customers-when-the-wind-stopped-blowing/ the blog Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:38:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Tom Gray http://northbynwa.com/2008/02/27/texas-ercot-cuts-1100-mw-of-power-to-interruptible-customers-when-the-wind-stopped-blowing/comment-page-1/#comment-93 Tom Gray Sat, 01 Mar 2008 17:18:57 +0000 http://northbynwa.com/2008/02/27/texas-ercot-cuts-1100-mw-of-power-to-interruptible-customers-when-the-wind-stopped-blowing/#comment-93 There is a good, balanced followup story on the Texas utility system event in today's (3/1/08) <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/commnts.mpl/business/energy/5583763.html" rel="nofollow">Houston Chronicle</a>. When the wind stops blowing and wind farm electricity generation drops, the process usually takes hours. By contrast, other power plants may go out of service instantaneously when a problem occurs. Wind forecasting, which could have helped address the ERCOT situation, can be and is being used by utility system operators to manage wind on their systems, and will become standard practice as the use of this clean, renewable energy source continues to grow. For a thoughtful look at the bird issue by an environmentalist, see <a href="http://www.progress.org/2003/energy23.htm" rel="nofollow">Confessions of a Bird Lover</a> by Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. Regards, Tom Gray American Wind Energy Association <a href="http://www.awea.org" rel="nofollow">www.awea.org</a> <a href="http://www.ifnotwind.org" rel="nofollow">www.ifnotwind.org</a> There is a good, balanced followup story on the Texas utility system event in today’s (3/1/08) Houston Chronicle.

When the wind stops blowing and wind farm electricity generation drops, the process usually takes hours. By contrast, other power plants may go out of service instantaneously when a problem occurs. Wind forecasting, which could have helped address the ERCOT situation, can be and is being used by utility system operators to manage wind on their systems, and will become standard practice as the use of this clean, renewable energy source continues to grow.

For a thoughtful look at the bird issue by an environmentalist, see Confessions of a Bird Lover by Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

Regards,
Tom Gray
American Wind Energy Association
http://www.awea.org
http://www.ifnotwind.org

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