Utility Wind Integration Group Announces Expanded Scope and Workplan for User Groups, Commits Seed Funding

Step marks move forward on research agenda, service offering for members

Reston, Va. – February 7, 2006 – The Utility Wind Integration Group announced today that its Board of Directors has approved an expanded and aggressive scope and work plan for its user groups for 2006. In addition, the board approved an allocation of $25,000 in seed money to this effort, which will be supplemented by an aggressive fundraising effort among its membership and outside sources.

These user groups cover the topics of Operating Impacts and Integration Studies; Wind Plant Modeling and Interconnection Studies; Distributed Wind Applications; Market Operation and Transmission Policy Best Practices, and Wind Turbine Operations and Maintenance. These groups are organized around the topics currently of greatest interest to the UWIG membership. Initially introduced in 2003, the original intent for these groups was to gather, analyze, and disseminate information generated through the organization, its members, and other organizations in the U.S. and abroad. The revised scope represents a significant expansion in the work of UWIG as the group continues to expand its role from one of providing educational programs and wind industry information to one of identifying and addressing major issues associated with incorporating wind plants into utility systems.

The key component of the workplan is a series of identified research projects or initiatives for each user group. UWIG previously completed two major funded research projects addressing the two most important issues identified by its members as barriers to wind integration. The first investigated the cost of ancillary services associated with wind plant operation on utility power systems. The second was the development of a suite of engineering applications consisting of web-based software, application guides, and measurement and case study databases to address the issues associated with the operation of small clusters of wind turbines on radial distribution feeders. Both of these projects were undertaken as funded activities with the support of UWIG members and other organizations, and resulted in approximately $700,000 of funded work performed.

Now UWIG is seeking long-term resource commitments from its members and related organizations to carry out the activities identified for each of the user groups. Support is being sought through coordination of parallel efforts, or funding that can be allocated to specific projects within a user group, to a specific user group, or to the collection of user groups.

Highlights of the proposed projects include:

Operating Impact & Integration Study User Group – Wind Energy Forecasting System Integration – This project will determine the control room requirements for wind plant forecast information, and optimize the way in which such information is integrated into the control room environment. It will provide an operating wind plant output forecasting system for control room use in both operations-planning and real-time-operations time frames. It will also identify improved approaches to operations planning tools incorporating wind plant output forecast uncertainty.

Modeling and Interconnection User Group – Wind Turbine Model Inventory and User Experience – The objective of this project is to develop an inventory of wind turbine models available for power system simulation purposes and user experience with them. It also will deliver a web accessible database of models and experiences.

Distributed Wind Applications User Group – Distributed Wind Toolbox Support – This effort will provide enhancements and user training and support for the set of tools developed for the application of utility-scale wind turbines on distribution feeders.

Market Operation and Transmission Policy User Group – Renewable Energy Considerations in Competitive Market Design – This project will identify unique characteristics of wind energy and changes in competitive market design necessary to remove barriers. It will deliver a primer on Order 888 tariff and competitive market features important to wind, differences between them and among markets, and recommendations for improvements in both.

Turbine Operation and Maintenance User Group – Wind Plant Knowledge Base – This effort will develop a searchable knowledge base of wind plant operations and maintenance experience.

To date, UWIG has shared all the results of its project work with members of the organization and some of the results with the general public. UWIG plans to continue this approach as it pursues support for the activities of its user groups.

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 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’s membership spans investor-owned, public power, and rural electric cooperative utilities; transmission system operators; and associate member corporate, government, and academic organizations. For more information, visit the UWIG web site at www.uwig.org.