Alberta, Canada's self-imposed wind generation
cap of 900 megawatts (MW) has been lifted following
the government's completion of an interconnection
and transmission study. Wind intermittency and maintaining
constant balance between supply and demand within
the provincial grid system were the major reasons
cited for the cap.
"There is lots of work still
to be done, and we have to make up for the time
we lost since the threshold was first imposed."
-- Tim Weis, Senior Technical & Policy Analyst,
Pembina Institute |
Market and business structure allowing for large-scale
wind production also required further study.
In April 2006, these concerns prompted the 900
MW cap, which critics such as The Pembina Institute,
Canada's energy watchdog, considered an unnecessary
burden on the fledgling Canadian wind power industry.
"While the news is encouraging, as a province
we are now just stepping back up to the plate that
we had backed away from over a year ago," says Tim
Weis, Senior Technical and Policy Analyst at the
Pembina Institute. "There is lots of work still
to be done, and we have to make up for the time
we lost since the threshold was first imposed."
Today the province has 497 megawatts of wind, with
500 more scheduled for interconnection by year's
end. This will bring wind energy's share of total
generation in Alberta to 4%.
Over 5,000 megawatts are currently in various stages
of study and development, a testament to the quality
of the wind resource in the region.
In February 2007, the Alberta Electrical Service
Operator (AESO) and the Canadian Wind Energy Association
(CANWEA) started consultations to grapple with the
unanswered questions of integration and transmission,
as well as market and pricing-based issues. A detailed
wind forecasting study was also launched, with a
focus on the plains and foothills in the province's
southwest region.
In April the Market and Operational Framework for
Wind Integration was published, a policy that outlines
the technical, economic, and regulatory parameters
for the business of Alberta wind power.
Lifting the 900 MW cap provides more good news
for CANWEA's annual industry gathering, which took
place this year in Quebec City from September 30
to October 3. David Huggill, the organization's
Western Canada policy manager, spoke from the conference.
"Though CANWEA did at no time support the cap,
we worked together with the AESO and a strategic
group of CANWEA members, and in the Spring we made
great progress towards developing this framework,"
said Huggill. "The cap was in a way a wake-up call
to the electrical operator that it's time understand
and deal with the wind industry."
One of the major tasks that can now go ahead is
the completion of transmission upgrades in the Pincher
Creek to Lethbridge area, two hundred kilometers
south of Calgary.
Once the 240 kilovolt line is in place, an additional
1,200 megawatts of wind power will a have a path
to Alberta's homes and businesses. This work is
set for completion by early 2009.