UWIG Announces 2009 Honorees for Achievements in Wind Integration, Scholarship Recipients
Honors industry leaders for contributions, recognizes students
Reston, Va. – March 17, 2009 – The Utility Wind Integration Group (UWIG) announced today that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), Southern California Edison (SCE), the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), Steve Lindenberg of the U.S. Department of Energy, and wind industry consultant Edgar DeMeo will be honored as recipients of its Annual Achievement Award. The organization also announced winners for the inaugural year of its scholarship program.
UWIG President Henry Durrwachter will present the awards and recognize the scholarship recipients at a reception during its 2009 Spring Technical Workshop and Annual Meeting held April 2-3 in Philadelphia, Pa.
The citation for the award to ERCOT, which highlights the work of Warren Lasher and Dan Woodfin, details their innovation and leadership in conducting the transmission planning process to implement the Texas Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ) legislation.
The citation for the award to SCE and the California ISO highlights the efforts of John Fielder and Jorge Chacon, SCE; Karen Edson and David Hawkins, CAISO; Dariush Shirmohammadi, formerly CAISO; and Hal Romanowitz, Oak Creek Energy; for innovation and leadership shown in developing the Tehachapi transmission plan.
The citations for the awards for Lindenberg and DeMeo list "their tireless efforts in managing and completing the process of producing the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) report on achieving 20% Wind Energy by 2030." According to UWIG President Durrwachter, the slate of honorees for 2009 reflects a heavy emphasis on the key challenge for recognizing a scenario of 20 percent of electricity from wind by 2030 – transmission: "Experts within the electric power and wind industry, as well as with federal and state governments, have noted that transmission needs to be built to get power from where the wind is to where the demand is. ERCOT, SCE, and the California ISO have worked to help solve that challenge. The report that Steve and Ed helped produce draws out many aspects of that challenge, as well as potential solutions. As President of UWIG, it gives me great pleasure to announce these awards and to congratulate them."
In addition, the organization announced that Ryan Nicolson of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Michael Heinen of Michigan Technological University, and David Krause of Ovid-Elsie High School are the 2009 UWIG Scholarship Program recipients. Nicolson and Heinen will receive $2000 scholarships. Krause, who intends to attend Michigan Institute of Aviation and Technology in the fall, will receive a $1000 scholarship. Durrwachter hailed the three as "students who will have much to offer the electric power and wind industries in the future."
UWIG will also honor outgoing board members Charles Linderman of the Edison Electric Institute, Charles McGowin of the Electric Power Research Institute, and Elliot Mainzer of Bonneville Power Administration for their service to the organization.
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 development and application of good engineering and operational practices supporting 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 currently has over 150 members from the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia, including investor-owned, public power, and rural electric cooperative utilities; transmission system operators; and associate member corporate, government, and academic organizations.