UWIG Update

April 2009

In this issue

• UWIG Announces 2009 Annual Achievement Award Recipients
• UWIG Announces Inaugural Scholarship Program Recipients
• Spring Technical Workshop a Success
• Turbine O&M Users Group Holds Third Meeting under New Format
• UWIG Holds 2009 Membership Meeting, Elects Board
• UWIG to Co-sponsor Research Symposium on Wind Integration Study Models, Methods
• Registration for 2009 Wind Integration Course Now Open
• Membership News

UWIG Announces 2009 Annual Achievement Award Recipients

The Utility Wind Integration Group (UWIG) announced the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), Southern California Edison (SCE), the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), Oak Creek Energy, Steve Lindenberg of the U.S. Department of Energy, and wind industry consultant Edgar DeMeo as recipients of the 2009 Annual Achievement Award.

UWIG President Henry Durrwachter presented the awards at reception during the 2009 Spring Technical Workshop and Annual Meeting held April 2-3 in Philadelphia, Pa. The reception was sponsored by Gamesa Technology Corporation, which also hosted technical tours for workshop and Turbine O&M User Group Meeting participants.

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, the California ISO, and Oak Creek Energy 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 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." UWIG also honored 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.

UWIG Announces Inaugural Scholarship Recipients

At the awards reception in Philadelphia, UWIG President Henry Durrwachter 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 inaugural recipients of the 2009 UWIG Scholarships. 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."

Last August, UWIG announced that it would establish a scholarship program for students working towards careers in the electric power and wind industries. These scholarships are available to students enrolled in accredited college or vocational schools in programs related to power engineering, wind energy, or the maintenance of wind turbines. UWIG awards up to three scholarships each year. Up to two $2,000 scholarships are granted to undergraduate students enrolled in an accredited engineering school who are pursuing a career in power engineering with a focus or major on wind generation, and up to one $1,000 scholarship is awarded to a student enrolled in an accredited wind technician program. UWIG determines the winner of each scholarship based on grade point average and a short essay explaining why the student is pursuing a career related to wind generation. The application cycle for scholarship recipients for the 2010-2011 academic year will open this fall.

Spring Technical Workshop a Success

The 2009 Spring Technical Workshop and Annual Meeting was held April 1-3 in Philadelphia, Pa. Over 100 participants attended the program, which focused on industry and technology developments, impacts of wind plant performance on related generation assets, transmission and markets, and forecasting developments. The schedule of events also included meetings of the UWIG User Groups, the 2009 UWIG Membership Meeting and Board of Directors election on April 3 as well as the Annual Awards Reception the evening of April 2. The workshop was followed by a tour of Gamesa Technology Corporation’s nearby manufacturing facility. The presentation materials for the workshop can be downloaded in the members area of the UWIG web site. The presentations from the meetings of the Operating Impacts and Integration Study, Wind Turbine Modeling and Interconnection Study, and Market Operations and Transmission Policy Users Groups can be downloaded in the members area of the UWIG web site as well. Note that login credentials are required to access these sites. Please send e-mail to sandy@uwig.org if you need or have misplaced your user name and password.

Turbine O&M User Group Holds Third Meeting under New Format

The UWIG Turbine Operations & Maintenance Users Group met on March 31 at the Hilton Philadelphia Airport. This event was the third meeting under this user group’s new scope, membership requirements, and participation limitations. The morning consisted of a Plenary Session open to user group members and interested parties from UWIG member organizations. The Plenary Session at this meeting focused on SCADA and turbine/plant control systems.

The afternoon session consisted of vendor product-specific Roundtable Forums for user group members only. The format was comprised of open discussions, moderated by a Roundtable chair, centered on a specific wind turbine component or specific model of wind turbine. Roundtables focusing on Vestas and GE turbines met and discussions are underway regarding forming a Siemens Roundtable. The presentations from the Plenary Session can be found in the members area of the UWIG web site (login required).

UWIG Conducts 2009 Membership Meeting, Elects Board Members

As per its bylaws, UWIG conducted its Annual Membership Meeting and Member Appreciation Breakfast in conjunction with the Spring Technical Workshop. Attendees heard the annual reports of by President Henry Durrwachter, Executive Director Charlie Smith, and a report on the finances. In addition, the 2009 election of the Board of Directors was concluded. Steve Beuning was elected to represent the Investor-Owned Utility Class, Gary Thompson of Nebraska Public Power District was elected to represent the Public Power Utility Class, Brent Petrie of Alaska Village Electric Cooperative was elected to represent the Rural Electric Cooperative Class and Dale Osborn of Midwest Independent System Operator was elected to represent the Transmission System Operator Class. Brian Skeahan of Cowlitz Public Utility District was elected to fill an unexpired term representing the Public Power Utility Class.

The presentations for the Membership Meeting can be found on the UWIG web site (login required).

UWIG Co-sponsors Research Symposium on Wind Integration Study Models, Methods

In partnership with EirGrid, ESB Networks, Sustainable Energy Ireland, and the University College Dublin Electricity Research Centre, UWIG is presenting a Research Symposium on Wind Integration Study Models and Methods. This event will be held July 7 and 8 at the O’Callaghan Mont Clair Hotel in Dublin, Ireland. The goal of this workshop is to

• Identify the state of the art of incorporating wind energy into power system planning methods
• Identify the critical R&D needs for improved probabilistic planning methods for wind energy
• Provide input for research agendas for major R&D funding agencies

Information on the agenda, registration, and accommodations can be found on the UWIG web site.

Registration Now Open for 2009 Wind Integration Short Course

UWIG will hold the 2009 presentation of Wind Generation in Power Systems: A Short Course on the Integration and Interconnection of Wind Power Plants into Electric Power Systems September 14-17 in Charleston, S.C. Details on registration and accommodations can be found on the UWIG web site.

Membership News

The Western Electricity Coordinating Council, Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, Red Electrica de Espana, CRA International, and RMEL are new members of UWIG. A complete list of UWIG members can be found on the UWIG web site.

UWIG Board of Directors

If you are not interested in receiving announcements from the Utility Wind Integration Group, please send e-mail to info@uwig.org and we will remove your name.