Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
In terms of technological support, FERC has served an enabling role
for wind power technology because standards, codes and regulations
administered by FERC attenuate many of the technological barriers
to wind power connection. Moreover, government investment in grid
enhancement, such as the US$4.5 billion sequestered under ARRA in
2009, provides necessary infrastructure to accommodate higher levels
of wind power. However with that said there is still a lot of work that
needs to be done. According to the American Wind Energy Association
(AWEA), there is an estimated 200,000 MW of proposed projects that
are currently in a developmental cue because there is not enough trans-
mission capacity to carry the electricity that these installations would
produce. 99 Some of this additional capacity will be realized through new
private sector ventures as the economics of supporting wind power con-
tinue to progress. For example, a project known as Green Power Express
has recently been proposed to transmit up to 12,000 MW of wind power
from the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Iowa to the Chicago area. his proj-
ect would add 3000 miles of extra high-voltage transmission lines to the
transmission system.
Turning to the challenges facilitating ofshore wind power development,
section 388 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 has been a key enabler of of-
shore wind power development in that it authorizes the Secretary of the
Interior to grant leases, easements and rights of passage on the outer con-
tinental shelf. his one policy will be instrumental for facilitating ofshore
wind power development because through policy comes certainty, and in
the presence of certainty, commercial commitment thrives. Although this is
not a political initiative that directly supports technological development,
like many of the other initiatives outlined in this section, it is a critical
enabler for technological innovation to take place.
7.8 WHAT TO EXPECT GOING FORWARD
he commercial viability of wind power has attenuated many of the barriers
inhibiting wind power difusion in the United States. Wind power is now
seen as a way to solve three problems through one technology. First, it is a
domestic source of energy; therefore, it enhances national energy security.
Second, the cost of wind is competitive with fossil fuels; therefore, it has
engendered support from both industry and the general public. hird, CO 2
emissions associated with wind systems are among the lowest of all energy
technologies; therefore, wind systems have a key role to play in reducing
GHG emissions. In short, looking to the near future, the question is not
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