UWIG Update

May 2009

In this issue

• UWIG Issues Principles/Guidelines for Technical Review of Wind Integration Studies
• Registration Open for Research Symposium on Wind Integration Study Models, Methods
• Registration Now Open for 2009 Wind Integration Course
• Update on Fall Technical Workshop, User Group Meetings
Distributed Wind Applications User Group to Meet in Cedar Rapids
• Sponsorship/Exhibition Opportunities Available for Cedar Rapids Meetings
• UWIG Co-sponsors International Wind Integration Workshop
• UWIG to Co-sponsor Distributed Wind Interconnection Workshop

UWIG Issues Principles/Guidelines for Technical Review of Wind Integration Studies

Working with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), UWIG has issued a set of principles for Technical Review Committee (TRC) participation in wind integration studies.

Coming from years of UWIG and NREL TRC involvement in a number of wind integration studies, this document provides guidance for establishment and operation of an effective review mechanism for such efforts. As the principles document notes, an effective TRC "will assist the project sponsors in ensuring that the quality of the technical work and the accuracy of results will be as high as possible. TRC participation will also enhance the credibility and acceptance of the study results throughout the affected stakeholder communities."

The TRC document can be downloaded from the UWIG web site. To obtain a copy of the document in Microsoft Word format, please send e-mail to info@uwig.org.

Registration Open for 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. Please note that the room block for this event expires June 1.

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.

Update on Fall Technical Workshop, User Group Meetings

The Fall Technical Workshop will be held October 8-9 at the Marriott Hotel in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Turbine O&M User Group meeting will take place October 6 with the Operating Impacts and Integration Study, Wind Turbine Modeling and Interconnection Study, and Market Operations and Transmission Policy Users Groups meeting October 7. A tour of the Clipper Turbine Works manufacturing facility in Cedar Rapids will be available to individuals who meet the registration requirements.

Details about agenda, registration, and accommodations will be posted on the UWIG web site in July.

Distributed Wind Applications User Group to Meet in Cedar Rapids

The Distributed Wind Applications Users Group will hold a meeting on Tuesday, October 6 in Cedar Rapids. Held in parallel with the Turbine O&M User Group meeting, this event will be open to UWIG members as well as cooperative and public power utilties that are members of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) or American Public Power Association (APPA). Information on the agenda, registration, and accommodations will be posted on the UWIG web site.

Financial support is available for cooperative and public power utilities that are members of NRECA or APPA to attend this meeting. The Public Renewables Partnership effort led by Western Area Power Administration (Western) is offering thirty $500 travel scholarships to electric cooperatives and public power utilities to attend. To qualify for the scholarship, individuals must meet the membership requirements, have never previously attended a UWIG meeting, and submitted a scholarship request and received a confirmation e-mail from Western.

There is one scholarship per utility. To secure a scholarship, which can also be used to defray registration costs, please contact Randy Manion at 720-962-7423 or manion@wapa.gov.

Sponsorship/Exhibition Opportunities Available for Cedar Rapids Meetings

UWIG is making available a limited number of sponsorships for the Turbine Operations & Maintenance Users Group Meeting on October 6 and the Fall Technical Workshop October 8-9. Sponsoring companies/organizations will receive recognition in meeting/workshop materials as well as the opportunity to have a tabletop exhibition/display table in the registration area. Sponsorships are $1000 for the O&M User Group meeting and $2500 for the Technical Workshop. For more information, send e-mail to sandy@uwig.org.

UWIG Co-sponsors International Wind Integration Workshop

UWIG is co-sponsoring the 8th International Workshop on Large-Scale Integration of Wind Power into Power Systems as well as on Transmission Networks for Offshore Wind Farms. The event will be held October 14-15, 2009 in Bremen, Germany. This workshop provides an international forum to

• Discuss technical and economic issues of the large-scale integration of wind power including the recent advances in transmission technologies (AC and DC)
• Discuss project experiences
• Discuss innovative ideas and present results from ongoing
• Stimulate interdisciplinary thinking between wind energy and power transmission industries, as well as universities
• Identify subjects requiring more research efforts

The workshop will be preceded by the Third Workshop on Best Practice in the Use of Short-term Forecasting of Wind Power on October 13. A field trip will follow on October 16.

For more information, please visit http://www.windintegrationworkshop.org.

UWIG to Co-Sponsor Distributed Wind Interconnection Workshop

UWIG, NRECA, APPA, American Wind Energy Association, Western Area Power Administration, and the U.S. Department of Energy Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program are presenting a distributed wind interconnection workshop January 20-22 at Western’s Electric Power Training Center in Golden, Colo. A flyer on this event 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.