FROM THE EDITOR

Powerful Forces

Wind, energy policy, and the magazine
Mel Olken

 
©1998 Digital Stock
Today, renewable forms of energy are regularly in the news and are receiving favorable press. And high on most lists of renewable energy sources is wind power—easy to produce but then what? The "then what" is the relationship between the power produced and its integration into the electric power system. That integration is fraught with promises and problems. Clearly, both the promises and the problems lie within the bailiwick of IEEE Power Engineering Society (PES) technology, and PES is well aware of it.

This issue is devoted to the subject of the integration of wind power into the electric power system. Charlie Smith of the Utility Wind Interest Group (UWIG) and Brian Parsons of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are the guest editors of the issue, and they have gathered together five feature articles that, in turn, delve deeply into different areas of concern.

Our guest editor column, authored by Charlie Smith, is very much a primer that offers broad background material to expose the reader to the "big picture." Charlie not only delves into the technology questions but also identifies the players and their specific roles. He identifies each article and also describes the significance of the information being offered. To complete the narrative, Charlie discusses the role that PES will be playing in the development of this technology, primarily through the creation of the Wind Power Coordinating Committee within the PES Technical Council, from which, I am certain, much interesting and provocative material will be forthcoming.

The five feature articles that comprise this issue, in the order they appear, are: "Making Connections" by Robert Zavadil, Nicholas Miller, Abraham Ellis, and Eduard Muljadi; "Wind Plant Integration" by Edgar A. DeMeo William Grant, Michael R. Milligan, and Matthew J. Schuerger; "Wind Energy Delivery Issues" by Richard Piwko, Dale Osborn, Robert Gramlich, Gary Jordan, David Hawkins, and Kevin Porter; "The Future of Wind Forecasting and Utility Operations" by Mark Ahlstrom, Lawrence Jones, Robert Zavadil, and William Grant; and "System Operation with High Wind Penetration" by Peter Børre Eriksen, Thomas Ackermann, Hans Abildgaard, Paul Smith, Wilhelm Winter, and JuanMa Rodríguez Garcí

In the Columns

This issue's "The Business Scene" column may be considered by some to wind, energy policy, and the magazine represent a continuation of the July issue's theme, "Energy Supply in the Developing World," and they may be correct in thinking so. However, this issue focuses on the nation of Jordan, a small country of some 5 million residents in a strategic part of the world.

The focus of the column by Anthony Tisot of Power Measurement is the description of the metering and communications infrastructure that has been developed as a nationwide, synchronized enterprise energy management system. Anthony presents his information in a historical context as he develops the business case for the approach that finally evolved.

The "view" in our "In My View" column is that of the U.S. investor-owned utilities as expressed by Richard F. McMahon, executive director of Alliance of Energy Suppliers of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI). In this capacity, he directs the EEI staff in advancing public policy. McMahon cites two specific generation technologies that have received great attention in the United States of late, namely, integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) and a revitalized nuclear thrust. Though both are promising approaches, they, coupled with increased transmission capacity, will not realize fruition unless financial and regulatory environments exist that will allow their development.

McMahon makes a strong case for a U.S. energy bill that will encourage investment in capital-intensive generation and transmission. He also argues that modification is required in the Public Utility Holding Company Act (PUHCA), which was enacted in the 1930s and has since been a model for utility organization, as well as in the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA). In addition, he also asks that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) powers be expanded to resolve transmission bottlenecks and that DOE be given the lead role in the federal permitting process.

In July 2005, a long overdue (by as many as 30+ years) U.S. energy policy bill was enacted. Reader reaction to the EEI position of the U.S. electric utility industry viewpoint expressed in this column, as well as to the energy bill itself, would be welcomed by IEEE Power & Energy Magazine as provocative and necessary discussion fodder. Rather than having the nontechnicals (lawyers, regulators, et al.) driving the arguments, let's hear from the technical side; we have much of far greater significance to offer.

Year-End Special Reminders

Our November issue is the year's last, and in accordance with IEEE policy, an index (author and subject) is compiled at the end of the issue. Remember, all material published in the magazine is also included on IEEE Xplore as is all material dating back to 1988 that appeared in our predecessor publications, IEEE Computer Applications in Power and IEEE Power Engineering Review. This collection is a veritable treasure trove of information available to IEEE and PES members.

As a final 2005 comment, I wish to express my gratitude to the Editorial Board for their continuing and unwavering support. Also, I want to recognize and thank those brave souls who "volunteered" to serve as guest editors for some of the 2005 issues; Mariesa Crow, Pete Sauer, Mani Venkata, Bill Hassenzahl, Mohammad Shahidehpour, Hugh Rudnick, Brian Parsons, and Charlie Smith. And kudos to Carl Sulzberger, who has proven himself to be a "historian extraordinaire," for the quality of the history columns that he has diligently researched and edited. And how can I fail to include those two dedicated IEEE professionals, Desirée de Myer and Janet Dudar, who suffer me gladly and are always there to keep me in line and correct my all too often foibles.