WIND GENERATION EXPANDS SUCCESSFUL GRID INTEGRATION
The rapid growth of wind power worldwide is raising concerns among traditional industry participants that wind's intermittency will threaten grid reliability or impose substantial costs. But evolving technology, changing rules, and, above all, growing familiarity and experience with wind power are enabling the intermittency of wind power to be accommodated with minimal cost and reliability impacts, transforming wind generation into a more market-oriented energy resource and helping sustain its growth.
- Properly managed, intermittent wind power need not impair system reliability nor impose prohibitive costs when total installed wind capacity is less than 15 percent of system peak load.
- Grid integration challenges for wind power increase significantly above the 15 percent system penetration rate, but much higher concentrations are possible.
- Regulation and operating reserve requirements for wind generation variability are not prohibitive, and improved prediction and aggregation of output is effective in further reducing the effects of intermittency.
- Several regions of the United States and Europe have emerged as leaders in devising operational and market rules to accommodate wind's intermittency.
