Wind on the Wires1 - Smart Grid (R) Evolution: Electric Power Struggles - page 131

have emerged for electricity system actors. The synergies and tensions associated with
smart grid and large-scale wind development vary regionally, which demonstrates the
importance of the social and political contexts shaping electricity system change.
The uneven spatial patchwork of wind deployment is due to multiple factors: a lack
of wind resources is limiting in some places, while political support has been insufficient
to stimulate development of large-scale wind systems in other systems. In locations with
large-scale deployment the integration of wind is also affecting the operation and value
of existing generation, changing electric sector economics, and undermining traditional
electric utility business models. As electricity system incumbents are forced to adapt -
sometimes at great cost - political support for renewable energy is changing rapidly. These
shifting social and political dynamics of renewable energy development take on different
forms in different contexts.
In this chapter, we explore the interactions between smart grid development and
large-scale wind power deployment and examine their impacts on several energy system
transitions. These interactions are shaped by multiple institutions and policies at the local,
state, regional, national, and sometimes international levels. To highlight the multiple
factors influencing integrated development of large-scale wind power and a smarter grid,
we develop three case studies. The first case focuses on wind development in the state
of Texas, the U.S. state with the most installed wind power. Strong wind resources, a
history of wind power use for water and oil pumping, and favorable electricity system
economics in Texas have supported the development of over 10,000 MW of wind power.
The second case focuses on relationships between regional development and wind power
in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. We explore how states and the regional
electricity system operators have worked together to plan for and integrate wind power
into the electric system. With more than 13,000 MW regionally and 25,000 MW planned
in the Midwest, wind power development has required unprecedented levels of regional
coordination and cooperation. The third case focuses on national-level wind development
in Germany, a country in the midst of a nationally planned energy transition, the
“ Energiewende ,” also discussed in Chapter 5 . With more than 33,000 MW of installed
wind power and 36,000 MW of solar PV, Germany has become a global leader in the
development and integration of renewables. Together, these cases allow us to explore more
deeply the relationships between electricity system change and scaling up renewables.
As we describe each case, we focus on how the coevolution of wind development and a
smarter grid are integrating technological advances and social changes in laws and markets
and associated regulatory, financial, and legislative institutions.
Within each case we explore variation of and linkages between actors, technologies, and
institutions at multiple decision nodes. Who controls wind power development and who