Michael Giberson
On Tuesday this week, while Florida transmission operators were getting everyone back online after a sub-station fire lead to cascading outages around the state, in Texas grid operators were responding to an emergency of their own. A sudden drop off in the West Texas wind produced an almost as sudden drop in wind power generation, from about 1700 MW to 300 MW. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported:
Operators of the Texas power grid scrambled Tuesday night to keep the lights on after a sudden drop in wind power threatened to cause rolling blackouts, officials confirmed Wednesday.
At about 6:41 p.m., power grid operators ordered a shutoff of power to so-called interruptible customers, which are industrial electric users who have agreed previously to forego power in times of crisis. The move ensured continued stability of the grid after power dropped to alarmingly low levels.
Dottie Roark, a spokeswoman for the power grid, said a sudden uptick in electricity use coupled with a sudden drop in wind power caused the unexpected dip. As a result, grid officials immediately went to the second stage of its emergency blackout prevention plan.
“This situation means that there is a heightened risk of … regular customers being dropped through rotating outages, but that would occur only if further contingencies occur, and only as a last resort to avoid the risk of a complete blackout,” the State Operations Center stated in an e-mail notice to municipalities.
The episode may embolden wind power critics — the Star-Telegram quotes an attorney as saying, “This is a warning to all those who think that renewable energy is the sole answer” — but I’d rather call it a reminder rather than a warning.
After all, other than some industrial customers who voluntarily shut down, and who are compensated for standing ready to shut down on short notice, no one in the restructured Texas power market lost power on Tuesday night. A rare event happened and from public reports it appears that existing, standard reliability measures at ERCOT, the state’s integrated power market and transmission system operator, were sufficient to keep the system running.
If wind is more susceptible to such swings in output than other generators — and it is — efficient coordination of the power system simply requires ensuring that such generators pay the right price for the additional reserves or other measures needed to maintain system reliability.
And, by the way, as a follow-up story notes, in addition to the sudden drop off in wind generation the ERCOT system was also faced with “a failure of several [other] energy providers to reach scheduled production.” It isn’t just wind that shows some variability in output.
Let’s review:
Total ERCOT capacity: ~70,000 MW
Total ERCOT wind capacity: ~ 4,356 MW (~6% of total capacity)
Wind output before drop: 1,700 MW (~39% of installed wind capacity)
Wind output after drop: 300 MW (~7% of installed wind capacity)
Fortunately, this event and the California wind event of 2006 occurred before state RPS were fully implemented. Interruption was sufficient to control the problem. Would it have been sufficient with 20% wind capacity; or, with 20% of consumption from wind? Hopefully the utilities and their regulators will deal with that issue before it arises.
Rockdale, IL. Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ — The recent power outages in South Florida resulted in over three million people living without power and without a backup power source. When the next outage occurs, power may not be restored as quickly. Candles and flashlights cannot ensure a family’s safety and security during a prolonged power outage. An alternative backup power source is the answer.
From September 2006-September 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reported that more than 11 million people were affected by weather-related or rolling blackout power outages. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), power outages cause numerous risks, including illness from food-born bacteria, the risk of fire from candle use and the risk of heat stroke or hypothermia in severe temperatures. Homeowners also risk their safety due to security systems being disabled.
One protection for homeowners against these unforeseen power outages is to install a standby power generator that automatically comes on when the power goes out. In fact, Main Power Connect ™, Inc., America’s Power Equipment Superstore and leading supplier of residential and commercial portable and standby generators, is setting a new standard in residential power protection, according to James Parsons, President, Main Power Connect.
“The smaller residential standby generators from the leading manufacturers are totally redesigned,” says Parsons. “Aesthetically, they are more pleasing; electrically, they’re more powerful; and ergonomically, they’re more practical.” As homes have grown in size and electronics have increased in popularity, backup generators have advanced as well. “Now they’re bringing even more power, which is able to back-up an entire home,” says Parsons.
A Generac air-cooled unit for example, offers the highest output of any generator of its kind at the most competitive price on the market. When equipped with Generac’s Power Manager(R) LTS panel, the new 20kW model can handle all circuits, including central air conditioning without shutting off other circuits, explains Parsons. The power quality is also best in class, allowing for safe operation of sensitive electronic equipment. Generac’s new 2008 air- cooled line comes in four additional models with ratings of 8, 11, 14 and 17 kW – more than what is available from any other manufacturer.
Automatic standby generators operate on natural gas or liquid propane vapor, so there are none of the fuel storage concerns that are common with gasoline or diesel models. Because of their favorable emissions profile, gaseous-fueled generators are becoming increasingly popular as a conscious solution for backup power needs.
“These new models reflect Generac’s market-leading commitment to bring better and more affordable standby power solutions to home and business owners, with fully automatic standby generators priced starting at $1,999,” says Parsons.
Generac introduced the first gaseous-fueled automatic home standby system in 1989 and has been the leading brand ever since. Generac generators are available under the Generac and Guardian by Generac brands. For more information on Generac residential or commercial products, visit http://www.mainpowerconnect.com/ or call 888-MAINPOWER.
Thanks for the balanced story. It’s also important to note that when the wind stops blowing and wind farm electricity generation drops, the process usually takes hours. By contrast, other power plants may go out of service instantaneously when a problem occurs. Wind forecasting, which could have helped address the ERCOT situation, can and is being used by utility system operators to manage wind on their systems, and will become standard practice as the use of this clean, renewable energy source continues to grow.
Regards,
Thomas O. Gray
American Wind Energy Association
http://www.powerofwind.org
http://www.awea.org
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