Wind power experts say Texas grid needs work

HOUSTON, TEXAS - Problems integrating a rising amount of wind-generated electricity into the Texas wholesale power market may slow short-term development, but won't deter long-term prospects for local wind generators, industry sources said.

Strong spring wind production in West Texas has been trapped as major transmission lines undergo seasonal maintenance. The lack of sufficient transmission capacity to move wind power from sparsely populated West Texas to densely populated North Texas has led to low on-peak prices and some negative off-peak prices in trading in the ERCOT West zone and for "seller's choice" power.

"Small companies may get spooked" by the low prices, said Declan Flanagan, chief executive of E.ON Climate & Renewables North America which hopes to double its U.S. wind generation to 1,150 megawatts by early next year.

As market participants and regulators develop large, new transmission lines to take advantage of the state's wind resource, the market for wind will stabilize, Flanagan told the Gulf Coast Power Association conference in Houston.

"Long-term, ERCOT is a growing market, driven by natural gas" that will continue to attract thousands of megawatts of new wind generation," he said.

Related News

global coal output

Global use of coal-fired electricity set for biggest fall this year

LONDON - The world’s use of coal-fired electricity is on track for its biggest annual fall on record this year after more than four decades of near-uninterrupted growth that has stoked the global climate crisis.

Data shows that coal-fired electricity is expected to fall by 3% in 2019, or more than the combined coal generation in Germany, Spain and the UK last year and could help stall the world’s rising carbon emissions this year.

The steepest global slump on record is likely to emerge in 2019 as India’s reliance on coal power falls for the first time in at least three decades…

READ MORE
british carbon tax

British carbon tax leads to 93% drop in coal-fired electricity

READ MORE

IESO

Key Ontario power system staff may end up locked down at work sites due to COVID-19, operator says

READ MORE

Most Energy Will Come From Fossil Fuels, Even In 2040

READ MORE

vladimir putin inspects computer terminal

Russian hackers had 'hundreds of victims' as they infiltrated U.S. power grid

READ MORE