Utility Wind Integration Group Issues Assessment of Integration of Wind into Utility Power Systems

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 22, 2006--The Utility Wind Integration Group (UWIG) today announced the release of an assessment on the integration of wind generation into utility power systems. The document, titled "Utility Wind Integration State of the Art," was introduced at the IEEE Power Engineering Society Transmission & Distribution Conference in Dallas.

The assessment summarizes a number of the key points raised in a series of articles on wind integration that appeared in the November/December issue of the IEEE Power Engineering Society's Power & Energy Magazine. UWIG produced the summary in cooperation with the American Public Power Association (APPA), Edison Electric Institute (EEI), and National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). The assessment does not support or recommend any particular course of action or advocate any particular policy or position on the part of APPA, EEI, or NRECA.

“Utility Wind Integration State of the Art”

According to UWIG executive director Charlie Smith: "This document is a summary of the best information available from around the world on what we currently know about integrating wind power plants into electric utility systems. This summary was produced with the cooperation of the three utility industry associations representing nearly 100 percent of the utilities in the United States. The message is very positive; we don't see any fundamental technical barriers at the present time to wind penetrations of up to 20 percent of system peak demand, which is far beyond where we are today."

Smith noted that the document focuses on wind's impacts on the operating costs of the non-wind portion of the power system and on wind's impacts on the system's electrical integrity. "The consensus view is that wind power impacts can be managed with proper design and operation of the system. There is still a lot of work to be done to get the message across and get everyone up the learning curve, but we are well on the way."

"Utility Wind Integration State of the Art" can be downloaded at the Utility Wind Integration Group web site at http://www.uwig.org.

The Utility Wind Integration Group (UWIG) was established in 1989 to provide a forum for the critical analysis of wind technology for utility applications and to serve as a source of credible information on the status of wind technology and deployment. The group's mission is to accelerate the appropriate integration of wind power for utility applications through the coordinated efforts and actions of its members, in collaboration with The U.S. Department of Energy, its National Renewable Energy Laboratory and utility research organizations. UWIG's membership spans investor-owned, public power, and rural electric cooperative utilities; transmission system operators; and associate member corporate, government, and academic organizations. For more information, visit the UWIG web site at www.uwig.org.