Delivering Green Power to the People - Nationwide

October 17, 2009 – Vol.14 No.30

DELIVERING GREEN POWER TO THE PEOPLE – NATIONWIDE.
by Bruce Mulliken, Green Energy News

The possibilities for the expansion of renewable power in the U.S. seem endless. The nation is vast. The Southwest has strong sunlight far more days than it doesn’t. Wind and ocean energy is possible in nearly every region as well as far offshore along our long coastline. Our hydro resources are plenty: provided it’s done right. And, geothermal energy still has room to expand at hot spots yet untapped.

It’s not the lack of resources that keep the nation from a far greater utilization of renewable power. It’s the investment. It’s the political will where leadership is necessary to move new renewable projects forward. And it’s the ability to bring that green power to customers when and where it’s needed.

But while we’re in challenging times for investment, the political will toward renewables has improved dramatically in recent years and delivering renewable power to the people and industry that need it is high on the “to do” list, and perhaps the most challenging.

Wind, solar, hydro, ocean, and geothermal resources are abundant, but unfortunately our best renewable power resources are in our most remote, least populated places. Nor are some of those resources always available. Availability is the problem of intermittency: the Sun doesn’t shine at night and the wind rarely blows all day.

But problems are meant to be solved and now there’s what appears to be a solution to allow solar electric power generated in the desert southwest, for example, to be shipped to Chicago, or wind energy from the cornfields of Iowa to be wired to Los Angeles. The solution would be to connect the nation’s three major power grids, or interconnections, through a hub. There’s a proposed project to do just that.

Today, for the most part, the three grids are not connected. The Eastern Interconnection, the Western Interconnection and the Texas Interconnection (also known as the Eastern Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT) don’t touch; they’re not united. It’s not just a simple matter of connecting the grids with big fat wires. The characteristics of the flow of electricity within each grid are not the same as the others and it would be difficult to synchronize an entire grid to match another. They can be connected through a “middle man,” however. Alternating current (AC) in one grid can be converted to direct current (DC) then converted back to AC to match the flow characteristics of the grid being joined.

Generally, the plan to connect the three grids is this: build a triangular hub where electricity can flow and be managed between the grids. That planned project, appropriately named the Tres Amigas SuperStation (the Three Friends), would incorporate high-powered AC/DC converters and high temperature superconductor (HTS) wires. Those wires would be incorporated in state-of-the-art Superconductor Electricity Pipelines to shuffle DC electric current between the grids or corners of the triangle where each grid makes its connection.

Not only would the Tres Amigas hub allow electricity to flow between grids it would manage and balance the power too. Balancing is exactly what’s needed to bring multiple sources of electricity, including those from intermittent renewables, together for transmission nationwide.

Nothing is free, of course. Tres Amigas will also be a market hub where a fee for service will be charged to power generating companies for usage of it. Even with fees attached, Tres Amigas, with its ability to distribute power nationwide, will create new business opportunities for renewable power generators to sell power to new markets and customers previously not available. New markets would encourage the development of new renewable capacity. Tres Amigas will also allow the purchase of power from multiple resources throughout the day to make best use of the intermittency of some renewables.

As described in an American Superconductor (AMSC) press release,”The Tres Amigas SuperStation will act as a power market hub, enabling the buying and selling of electricity between the nation’s three Interconnections, which is not possible today. Wind, solar, hydro and geothermal renewable energy sources that do not currently have access to transmission lines and/or customers will be able to tap into multiple markets through the Tres Amigas SuperStation. For example, regions rich in solar energy will be able to buy electricity at night, when the sun is not shining, from regions rich in wind energy. As a merchant transmission system, Tres Amigas will charge a fee for usage of the power hub.”

AMSC with its experience in high temperature superconductivity, is involved in the project.

The Devens, Massachusetts company is expected to provide transmission planning services, superconductor wire and the superconductor cable system for the project. AMSC intends to partner with some of the industry’s leading superconductor power cable and system component companies to manufacture the cable system to AMSC’s specification. AMSC has also acquired a minority equity interest in Tres Amigas, LLC for $1.75 million in cash and AMSC stock. AMSC will hold one of four seats on the Board of Directors of Tres Amigas, LLC.

tresamigas467

The 3 friends would meet in New Mexico.

Tres Amigas needs approvals, of course. New Mexico’s State Land Office already has granted Tres Amigas, LLC the right to lease 14,400 acres (22.5 square miles) of land in Clovis for this system. FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission also needs to sign off on the project.

Links:

American Superconductor
http://www.amsc.com

Tres Amigas
http://www.tresamigasllc.com

--- AMSC and Sinovel Sign $100 Million Follow-On Contract for 3 MW Wind Turbine Components.

--- American Superconductor Corporation Forms AMSC India.