Projects - EnerNex Corporation

Built upon the 2004 study of Xcel Energy-NSP control area, the study was expanded to included all electric utilities serving Minnesota customer. With our key partners, we conducted ground-breaking research in areas recognized as key for further use of wind generation.

The study evaluated and quantified reliability, operating and market impacts of three levels of wind generation: 15, 20 and 25 percent of Minnesota retail sales in 2020. The study found that the total integration operating cost for up to 25 percent wind energy delivered to Minnesota customers is less than $4.50 per MWh of wind generation. The 25 percent penetration level of wind is predicated on operating in the Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO) service area, control area consolidation (currently underway in MISO), geographic diversity of the wind power and adequate transmission.

The study process included a Technical Review Committee comprised of the contractors and numerous stakeholders from both the private and public sector: Minnesota utilities subject to the Minnesota Renewable Energy Objective of 10 percent by 2015, MISO, Midwest Reliability Organization/Mid-Continent Area Power Pool, Minnesota Department of Commerce, Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Community-Based Energy Development, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Utility Wind Integration Group. MISO was a key study participant that supplied power system data and technical expertise, as well as much of the system modeling.

The Minnesota study is the latest in a series examining how utilities can manage ever-larger amounts of wind power on their systems, and it comes at a time of strong growth for the wind industry. The three volumes summarizing the study results can be found on the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission Web site at http://www.puc.state.mn.us/news_events/index.htm#electric.

Of these activities, we believe that the wind generation forecasting project for the Minnesota Department of Commerce and Xcel Energy is the most significant. Forecasting is generally recognized as a key element for fostering continued expansion of wind generation. To date, however, very little formal research on how such information could be exploited has actually been conducted. In this project, the EnerNex project team explored in detail ways in which wind generation forecasts for multiple facilities can be generated and aggregated, then provided to power traders, control area operators, and transmission dispatches the information to improve the economic performance and reliability of the power system.