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[bob ford <bobford79 AT yahoo.com>]

This article is talking about the conflicts between carbon emission rules and 
peak energy use demands.  I think it is more about the politicians , 
lobbyists, and evriro groups not getting their engineering and science right, 
before passing new regulations; than anything particularly relevant to the 
production of alternative energy .......bobford

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Report Says Sun and Wind Power Could Threaten Nation’s Electrical Grid 

Topics:Natural Gas | Energy | Alternative Energy
Sectors:Oil and Gas
By Matthew L. Wald, The New York Times | 10 Nov 2008 | 12:47 PM ET 

Adding electricity from the wind and the sun could increase the frequency of 
blackouts and reduce the reliability of the nation’s electrical grid, an 
industry report says. 

 
Eric Risberg / AP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation says in a report 
scheduled for release Monday that unless appropriate measures are taken to 
improve transmission of electricity, rules reducing carbon dioxide emissions 
by utilities could impair the reliability of the power grid. The corporation 
is the industry body authorized by the federal government to enforce 
reliability rules for the interlocking system of electrical power generation 
and transmission. 

Such carbon-reduction rules are already in place in 27 states and four 
Canadian provinces, and new ones could be mandated nationally in both 
countries. They may force changes in the utility industry, the group said, 
including the shutting down of coal plants that are located near load 
centers, and substituting power from wind turbines or solar plants in remote 
areas. 

These actions would impose new demands on a transmission system that was 
never designed for large power transfers over extremely long distances. 

 
The group also said that the carbon emission rules could increase reliance on 
natural gas, making power generation vulnerable to supply interruptions. 

Carbon emission initiatives are the “No. 1 emerging issue” for the grid, 
according to Rick Sergel, president and chief executive of the group, which 
is based in Princeton, N.J. Renewable energy can form a larger portion of 
electricity supplies without reducing reliability, Mr. Sergel said, but not 
without investments in transmission. 

The overhauled electric system that has emerged in the last two decades 
already has inadequate transmission capacity, he said. Independent power 
producers have built generating stations that compete in a geographically 
vast marketplace to serve distant consumers. “The transmission system is 
being used closer to its limits more of the time than at any time in the 
past,” Mr. Sergel said. 

 
The report was based on information from 50 utilities, power generators and 
other electric system participants. It quotes Kenneth W. Farmer, executive 
director of the Beauregard Electric Cooperative, of DeRidder, La., saying, 
“It appears that greenhouse gas issues and electric utility reliability are 
on a collision course.” 

The report calls for construction of new power lines, which has become more 
difficult in some regions because of the diminished clout of utilities and 
the growing strength of preservationists trying to protect rural areas. 
Building new lines to reach distant areas with great potential for power 
generation will take a new approach to planning, the report said. 

One solution, it said, might be greater use of “demand-side resources,” or 
deals with customers to cut consumption in periods of high energy use. In 
these arrangements, some retail customers agree to have equipment like 
central air-conditioners or swimming pool pumps controlled by utilities, 
which can limit their use at peak times. Some big customers, like factories, 
may voluntarily shut down on peak use days. Both groups get a discount or a 
regular payment in exchange for becoming “interruptible.” 

Such measures can relieve pressure on generating stations and transmission 
lines, but require reliable integration with the transmission system, the 
report said. 

Some experts say they think that imposing hard limits on carbon dioxide 
emissions could threaten the reliability of the power supply. 


MORE FROM NYTIMES.COM

Current DateTime: 09:48:19 10 Nov 2008

Topics: Energy & Power


Peter Carney, an environmental engineer at the New York Independent System 
Operator, which runs the bulk power transmission system in New York, said 
that such problems could result from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, 
of which New York is a member.

 Under that agreement, utilities get allowances for carbon emissions. But 
under some conditions — a spike in demand because of severe weather, or the 
lengthy shutdown of a nuclear plant — the only way to obtain more power could 
be to burn more coal, increasing carbon emissions. It is not clear how such 
conflicts would be resolved. 

Copyright © 2008 The New York Times 

http://www.cnbc.com/id/27646401