UWIG Update

August 2008

In this issue

• 2008 Presentation of Wind Integration Short Course Draws Near
• Fall Technical Workshop Dates, Location - Registration Now Open
• Turbine O&M User Group to Hold Second Meeting Under New Format
• Turbine Operations & Maintenance User Group to Expand

2008 Presentation of Wind Integration Short Course Draws Near

The 2008 presentation of the comprehensive short course Wind Generation in Power Systems: A Short Course on the Integration and Interconnection of Wind Power Plants into Electric Power Systems will be held September 9-12 at the La Playa Hotel in Carmel, Calif.

Co-sponsored by the American Wind Energy Association and Energynautics, the course addresses issues related to interconnecting wind generation to electric utility power systems. Covered topics include wind turbine generator technology, modeling for power system analysis, and conducting planning and operating studies.

For more information, including details on registration and accommodations, visit the UWIG web site at http://www.uwig.org/shortcourse2008.html or contact Sandy Smith, e-mail sandy@uwig.org. The advance registration deadline is September 1 and registration is limited to the first 35 attendees.

A block of rooms has been arranged at the La Playa Hotel with a rate of $179/night plus applicable taxes for village view or $209/night plus applicable taxes for ocean/garden view. The room block expires Monday, August 11.

Fall Technical Dates, Location - Registration Now Open

UWIG will hold the 2008 Fall Technical Workshop in Denver, Colo. October 2-3 at the Brown Palace Hotel. In conjunction with this event, the Turbine Operations & Maintenance Users Group will meet at the Hilton Garden Inn in Fort Collins, Colo. on September 30 (see following story) and the other user groups will meet at the Brown Palace Hotel on October 1. Workshop topics to be addressed include:

• Regional wind transmission developments
• Grid code and performance evaluations
• Wind integration studies
• Forecasting developments
• Industry updates

In conjunction with the Fall Technical Workshop, technical tours of the Vestas Blades plant and Xcel Energy’s Cabin Creek Pumped Hydro Storage Facility will be offered. The Vestas Blades plant tour is available to individuals who are affiliated with utilities, system operators, developers, government employees, consultants, and university faculty/students, but not other turbine manufacturers. Registration for this tour is limited to the first 35 individuals and participants must be cleared by UWIG and Vestas management. Registration for this tour will end on September 9 and no additional participants will be accepted. Registration for the Cabin Creek tour is available to all, but must be made in advance.

Details on registration, accommodations, and agenda can be found on the UWIG web site at http://www.uwig.org/falltechworkshop2008.html.

Turbine O&M User Group to Hold Second Meeting Under New Format

The UWIG Turbine Operations & Maintenance Users Group will hold its fall meeting on September 30 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Fort Collins, Colo. This event is the second meeting under this user group’s new scope, membership requirements, and participation limitations. The morning will consist of a Plenary Session open to user group members and interested parties from UWIG member organizations. The Plenary Session at this meeting will focus on blades. A complete agenda for the Plenary Session will be posted in the near term.

The afternoon session will consist of vendor product-specific Roundtable Forums for user group members only. The format will consist of open discussions, moderated by a Roundtable chair, centered on a specific wind turbine component or specific model of wind turbine. The Roundtable will provide the opportunity for frank and open discussion among users, who will share their information, knowledge and experience.

Attendees will have the opportunity on October 1 to tour the Vestas Blades plant in nearby Windsor, Colo. This tour is available to individuals who are affiliated with utilities, system operators, developers, and plant owners/operators, but not other turbine manufacturers. Registration for this tour is limited to the first 35 individuals and participants must be cleared by UWIG and Vestas management. Registration for this tour will end on September 9 and no additional participants will be accepted.

Details on the meeting can be found on the UWIG web site at http://www.uwig.org/oandmFortCollins.html. For information on participation eligibility requirements, please contact Sandy Smith, sandy@uwig.org. 

Turbine Operations & Maintenance User Group to Expand

The UWIG Turbine Operations & Maintenance Users Group will be gaining additional participants through cooperation with the Vestas V82/V47 Owners Group, a collaborative effort among various wind plant owners and operators to discuss operational concerns associated with several types of Vestas turbines. The Vestas V82/V47 Owners Group has conducted several meetings organized along the lines of the Roundtable Discussions that the O&M Users Group conducts. This development will lead to the expansion of Roundtables for various models of Vestas turbines.

UWIG Board of Directors

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