3.16.09 The Washington Times: Electricity Grid Gets Boost From Congress

The Washington Times reports that Although Congress has pledged billions in the stimulus package for an overhaul of the  nation’s powergrid, a dispute remains surrounding how much say the federal government should have in the process.  Some groups want these grid decisions to be made solely by the states, while others say that a coordinated federal effort is needed for a timely and integrated renovation.

This disagreement becomes complicated when considering who or what entity has control over the nation’s and state’s power grids:

In 2005, Congress gave ultimate authority over the grid to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). But the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last month that FERC can’t overrule a state’s decision to reject a transmission project…

 …These [state's] concerns illustrate a serious issue that policymakers will confront as they attempt to incorporate green energy into grid, said Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., Wisconsin Republican.

“Much of the nation’s wind, solar and geothermal resources are located in the interior of the country, while many of the people who need that electricity live near the coasts,” he said. “If we can’t streamline the regulatory issues for siting new transmission lines, we’ll be doomed to legal battles and the same outdated grid.”

A new grid is an absolute if the country increases the use of renewable energy, which is largely located in rural areas. The intermittent nature of wind and solar power, for example, requires smarter technologies to regulate how and when they’re used, said Tom Casey, CEO of Current Group, a company that sells smart grid technologies.

“Renewables cannot really reach their full potential without having more intelligence in the grid to allow them to be managed and dispatched,” Mr. Casey told Congress.

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 The article continues, saying,  “Some states are taking on the transmission issue themselves, including Texas, home to more megawatts of wind power than any other state, according to the American Wind Energy Association.

The state’s Public Utility Commission plans to build 18,000 megawatts of new transmission in the next five to seven years. With 9,000 megawatts of wind turbines in West Texas alone, and 40,000 more slated for development, extra transmission lines are desperately needed, said Ed Clark, spokesperson for Austin Power, a Texas utility.

“There’s so much wind generated in Texas now, there’s not enough transmission to bring it to the rest of the state,” Mr. Clark said.

The utility has the country’s biggest green-power purchasing program, which allows costumers to sign up for wind-generated electricity for a different price than the regular utility rate. Participants subscribe at a set price over a specific time period. Those who signed up several years ago are saving money compared with current fossil-fuel energy prices, but more recent customers are not. That’s largely due to transmission problems.