Summary
We have long known that integrating wind power into electrical transmission grids poses special challenges. Much progress has been made in recent years, but with increasing reliance on wind generation to provide energy to the system, incidents like this one will recur.
Analysis
It has not been a good week for grid reliability. First, problems thought to have started at an FPL Group substation near Miami cascaded into a multiplant outage that affected millions in Florida from Miami to Jacksonville and west to Tampa.
Now we have this incident in Texas. Wind power is only as reliable as the weather forecasts that allow it to be scheduled into the grid. Unexpected shifts pose special challenges to grid operators, who are only now beginning to gain significant experience with managing large portions of wind power in their portfolios.
Perhaps its just a coincidence that BP is rumored to be looking to exit the green power business and refocus on petroleum.
