Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
and despite a long history of feasibility studies by a variety of federal government agencies that
have encouraged electric utilities to do so (USDOE 2002; Hamilton 1980, 42-56; USDOE 1979,
esp. vol. II, note 2 at 4), they have steadfastly resisted integration of their facilities into a single
national power grid. Yet major areas in Canada are interconnected with the Western and Eastern
power grids, which have limited direct-current interties with each other, while small parts of Mexico
have limited connections with Texas and the Western power grid (USEIA 2011a). Electric utilities
are simply unwilling to make the investments in transmission facilities that would make operation
of the entire grid possible, even though such investments would be profitable.
Most of the electrical transmission components have been in existence for many years. It is
generally agreed that some replacement and upgrading of current lines are needed, and there is
growing evidence that the U.S. transmission system is in urgent need of modernization.
The system has become congested because growth in electricity demand and investment in
new generation facilities have not been matched by investment in new transmission facilities.
Transmission problems have been compounded by incomplete transition to fair and efficient com-
petitive wholesale electricity markets. Because the existing transmission system was not designed
to meet present demand, daily transmission constraints or “bottlenecks” increase electricity costs
to consumers and increase the risk of blackouts.
Eliminating transmission constraints or bottlenecks is essential to ensuring reliable and afford-
able electricity now and in the future. According to an assessment by the Department of Energy, the
U.S. transmission system facilitates wholesale electricity markets that lower consumers' electricity
bills by nearly $13 billion annually, but despite these overall savings, interregional transmission
congestion costs consumers hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Relieving bottlenecks in
four U.S. regions (California, the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland interconnection, New York,
and New England) could save consumers about $500 million annually. Savings might be even
greater because the analysis did not capture all of the factors, such as impacts on reliability, that
result from bottlenecks (USDOE 2002).
According to DOE, there are four significant challenges to improving the transmission power
grid infrastructure:
s3ITINGNEWTRANSMISSIONLINESOBTAININGAPPROVALSOFANEWROUTEANDNEEDEDLANDWHEN
there is local opposition to construction
s$ETERMININGANEQUITABLEAPPROACHFORRECOVERINGCONSTRUCTIONCOSTSOFATRANSMISSIONLINE
built within one state when it provides economic and system operation benefits to out-of-state
customers
s%NSURINGTHENETWORKOFLONGDISTANCETRANSMISSIONLINESREACHESSITESWHEREHIGHQUALITY
renewable resources are located, often distant from areas where demand for electricity is
concentrated
s$ETERMININGWHOISRESPONSIBLEFORPAYINGFORNEWTRANSMISSIONLINES5NCERTAINTYOVERWHO
is responsible affects the private sector's willingness to build and its ability to raise money
to construct new transmission lines (USDOE 2002)
Environmental Costs of Utilizing Electric Power
Environmental costs of electric power transmission accrue mostly from construction of an inter-
connected high-voltage grid system. Transmission structures are constructed by using a standard
Search WWH ::
Custom Search