NWCC Transmission Update - Friday, December 12, 1pm ET

The next NWCC Transmission Update call will be held on Friday, December 12 at 1:00 pm Eastern (12:00 pm CT, 11:00 am MT, 10:00 am PT) and will cover the report from the NERC Integration of Variable Generation Task Force and the new Upper Midwest Transmission Development Initiative.

NERC Integration of Variable Generation Task Force - Anticipating substantial growth of variable generation, in December 2007 the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) Planning and Operating Committees created the Integration of Variable Generation Task Force charged with preparing a report to:
- Raise industry awareness and understanding of variable generation characteristics as well as system planning and operation challenges expected with accommodating large amounts of variable generation;
- Investigate high level shortcomings of existing approaches used by system planners and operators and the need for new approaches to plan, design and operate the power system; and
- Broadly assess NERC standards to identify possible gaps and requirements to ensure bulk power system reliability.

Mark Lauby of NERC will discuss preliminary conclusions and recommendations resulting from the Task Force’s activities.

Upper Midwest Transmission Development Initiative (UMTDI) - On September 18, 2008, the governors of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin announced the creation of the Upper Midwest Transmission Development Initiative (UMTDI). The UMTDI member states seek to accomplish two major tasks: first, to establish a plan that will guide and encourage the construction of interstate transmission lines to serve the upper Midwest region’s commitment to cost-effective renewable generation while maintaining reliability; and second, to develop an equitable cost-sharing methodology. Edward Garvey, who is supporting the UMTDI, will give an update on the Initiative’s activities.

Call Information
Call-in Number: 1-800-820-4690
Access Code: 9878643#

NWCC November 3 Update

Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VII a Success! – Over 200 participants gathered in Milwaukee last week to hear about the most recent research on wind energy and wildlife. The 2-day meeting featured research on habitat and fatality issues, as well as avoidance and mitigation techniques. Attendees will be notified when presentations are available on the NWCC website; look for them in the coming weeks. Proceedings from the meeting are under development and are expected in spring 2009. The meeting was preceded by a ½ day workshop providing an introduction to wind-wildlife issues and followed by a Wildlife Workgroup meeting where the Committee reviewed lessons learned and agreed on the blueprint of activities for 2009.

Western Transmission Newsletter Volume 6 Published – The fall edition of the Western Transmission newsletter was released on October 29th. For updates on WREZ, DOE planning for the 20% wind vision, a guest feature from Dave Olsen of Western Grid Group, and other news from the West, please visit the NWCC website.

Environmental Benefits & Costs Forum – On October 8th, the newly-formed Environmental Benefits and Costs workgroup met to begin learning about models used to assess the environmental benefits and costs of energy generation. The discussion focused on capacity expansion models such as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) Renewable Energy and Efficiency Modeling Analysis Partnership (REMAP), the US Department of Energy National Energy Modeling System (DOE EIA NEMS), NREL’s Renewable Energy Deployment Scenario (ReEDS) Model, EPA's 2008 Integrated Planning Model, the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) Dynamic Energy Efficiency Policy Evaluation Routine (DEEPER) model, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s (PNNL) Mini Climate Assessment Model (MiniCAM), and Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI) National Electric System Simulation Integrated Evaluator (NESSIE). In addition, the group discussed life-cycle assessment models from NREL and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Attendees sought to assess the models’ assumptions, evaluate how wind is characterized in these models, and identify other models that might be useful. A summary of this meeting is under development and a next steps memo will be distributed soon.

DOE Holds Planning Workshop on 20% Wind Vision – NWCC staff and several Steering Committee members attended DOE’s October 6 – 7 workshop on the 20% Wind Vision. The takeaway message for the NWCC is that it continues to play a valuable role in promoting 20% wind through its educational and outreach activities, as well as its work in convening of stakeholders to address key issues in areas such as transmission, siting, and wildlife. Attendees noted that the NWCC’s initial plans for 2009 dovetail well with DOE’s priorities for the 20% vision.

Wildlife Workgroup News

Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VII - We Energies hosted Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VII in their historic art-deco Milwaukee headquarters on October 28-29. The two-day meeting, featuring the latest research on wind and wildlife, was co-sponsored by platinum sponsors - National Wind Coordinating Collaborative, Horizon Wind Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and BP Alternative Energy - in partnership with silver sponsors AES Wind Generation, Inc; National Audubon Society; Union of Concerned Scientists; DeTect, Inc; and BHE Environmental. Proceedings for the meeting are under development; presentations will be available on the NWCC website following speaker approval later in November.

The Wildlife Workgroup Core Group and a number of observers met in Milwaukee on October 30th to discuss the status of current Wildlife Workgroup activities, along with the 2009 workplan. A meeting summary is under development; next steps and an updated 2009 workplan will be circulated to workgroup members soon.

The Grassland Shrub Steppe Species Collaborative (GS3C) met on October 27th in Milwaukee to discuss next steps for the KSU research on potential impacts to prairie chickens from wind energy development. The group also continued discussions on possible GS3C activities in studying sage grouse.

November 12 Wildlife Workgroup Call Cancelled – As the Wildlife Workgroup met on October 30th, the Core Group has cancelled the previously scheduled November 12th workgroup call. The bi-monthly calls will begin again in January 2009; stay tuned for the date and time.

Updates to NWCC Methods & Metrics Document – The Wildlife Workgroup heard a status report on updates to Studying Wind Energy/Bird Interactions: A Guidance Document (aka Methods & Metrics Document). Reference lists for the document and for a decision-making framework were received and reviewed by the Oversight Committee in mid-October. The contractor, Western EcoSystems Technology (WEST) has begun drafting the document and the framework. This framework will be useful to other initiatives, such as the U.S. Department of Interior Wind Turbine Guidelines Federal Advisory Committee.

Updates to NWCC Birds & Bats Factsheet – A first draft of Wind Turbine Interactions with Birds and Bats: A Summary of Research Results and Remaining Questions (aka Birds & Bats Factsheet) was received from Pandion Systems in late October. The Oversight Committee is currently reviewing it and will provide feedback to Pandion on a November 14th conference call.

Wind/Wildlife Activities & Events Table –The NWCC wind power / wildlife studies, activities, and events table is available online. Please send information on wind / wildlife meetings, studies, or publications to Taylor Kennedy at tkennedy@resolv.org for inclusion in this table and the NWCC calendar.

Transmission Workgroup News

West – While the NWCC will not meet at the WECC December board meeting, WECC is interested in inviting their members to a NWCC-organized event in January or February. NWCC staff will consult with the Transmission Workgroup on next steps. On October 29th, the 6th volume of the Western Transmission newsletter was released. To get an update on activities in the West, including an update on the Western Governors’ Association Western Renewable Energy Zones project (WREZ), DOE’s planning process for the 20% wind vision, and a guest feature from Dave Olsen of Western Grid Group, please visit the NWCC website.

Transmission Updates – On the last Transmission Workgroup call, members agreed to continue Transmission Update calls. Keep an eye out for the 2009 schedule. A brief of the September 23rd Transmission Update on the Southwest Power Pool’s (SPP) Balanced Portfolio proposal and a recent order from the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) has been distributed and is available on the NWCC website.

Layperson's Guide to Wind Integration – The draft Layperson's Guide has been edited and revised, and the plan for completion has been updated. The full draft is planned for completion by the end of November.

Same NWCC, New Blog

Welcome to the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative (NWCC) blog!

Based on feedback from participants like you, we are seeking to minimize the number of emails we send while still providing you with the latest NWCC news. To this end, we have launched the new NWCC “blog”, where we will regularly post NWCC news and information. We will continue to send out the NWCC Highlights newsletter but are moving to a monthly, rather than bi-weekly, schedule. Look for updates by email on the 1st of each month, and be sure to check the NWCC blog for interim news.

We hope this new format will enable us to better inform you of important NWCC news and assist you in finding the information that interests you. You can click the labels on the right of this page to see posts related to a specific topic, or you can scroll down to read all NWCC news.

We're interested in your feedback on the new layout. Please feel free to send us an email or leave a comment letting us know what you think. We look forward to hearing from you.

Best,
Abby, Dana, and Taylor

NWCC October 1 Update

Less Than 1 Month until Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VII - Less than one month remains to register for Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VII, to be held October 28-29th in Milwaukee, WI. Registration, draft agendas and logistical information can be found on the meeting website: http://wildlife08.windworkshops.org/. Sponsored by We Energies and co-sponsored by NWCC and a variety of other organizations, this meeting will feature the most recent research on impacts to wildlife from wind energy and potential mitigation strategies. An optional introductory workshop will be held on October 27th and the NWCC Wildlife Workgroup will meet on October 30th.

Last Chance to Respond to Wildlife Workgroup Outreach Survey - The NWCC Wildlife Workgroup needs your feedback to improve its outreach. The end goal is to reduce the volume and increase the impact of NWCC outreach. - ensuring all stakeholder groups are represented and that products are received by key audiences. As a participant in the Wildlife
Workgroup, your feedback is critical in identifying what works, what doesn’t, and what could be improved. Please take a minute to fill out this brief survey to share your perceptions.

Wildlife Workgroup News

Registration for Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VII (October 28-29) is open on the
meeting website: http://wildlife08.windworkshops.org/. The site also features logistical
information, a draft agenda, and information about the October 27th optional introductory
session and October 30th Wildlife Workgroup meeting. Hosted by We Energies, the research
meeting will be held in Milwaukee, WI, and will feature presentations on the latest wind and wildlife research in North America. Registration for the introductory session is filling fast – be sure to register soon!

The Wildlife Workgroup Core Group will meet in Milwaukee on October 30th. A draft
agenda has been posted on the meeting website at http://wildlife08.windworkshops.org/.
Attendees may register for the Core Group meeting while registering for Wind Wildlife Research
Meeting VII. Although this meeting is open to non-Core Group members, space is limited and preference will be given to Core Group members.

The Grassland Shrub Steppe Species Collaborative (GS3C) will meet in conjunction
with the Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VII to discuss next steps for the KSU research on
potential impacts to prairie chickens from wind energy development. In addition, the group will discuss possible GS3C activities in studying sage grouse. GS3C members who are interested in attending should contact Taylor Kennedy for additional information.

November 12 Wildlife Workgroup Call Cancelled – As the Wildlife Workgroup will meet on October 30th, the Core Group has indicated there is no need for a November 12th workgroup call. The bi-monthly calls will begin again in January 2009; the exact schedule will be confirmed by the Core Group at their fall meeting and will be distributed to participants in early November.

Updates to NWCC Methods & Metrics Document – Western EcoSystems Technology (WEST), William Warren Hicks (EcoStat, Inc.), and Robin Gregory (Decision Research), met with the NWCC Oversight Committee in a September 15th workshop at NREL to develop a framework for updating Studying Wind Energy/Bird Interactions: A Guidance Document (aka Methods & Metrics Document). A proposed list of references is due to the Committee in mid-October; once this has been approved, WEST will begin drafting the document. This framework will be useful to other initiatives, such as the U.S. Department of Interior Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee.

Updates to NWCC Birds & Bats Factsheet – Pandion Systems has submitted a draft list of references to be included in updates to Wind Turbine Interactions with Birds and Bats: A Summary of Research Results and Remaining Questions (aka Birds & Bats Factsheet). The Oversight Committee has provided feedback on this list, and Pandion has begun drafting the document.

Wind/Wildlife Activities & Events Table –The NWCC wind power/wildlife studies, activities, and events table is available online. Please send information on wind/wildlife meetings, studies, or publications to Taylor Kennedy at tkennedy@resolv.org for inclusion in this table and the NWCC calendar.