New challenges emerge in wind vs. water debate

"Wind turbines are back to transmitting power without interference in the Northwest as the Bonneville Power Administration has ended a 53-day curtailment period aimed at balancing the grid amid high water flows. But whether that policy benefited more than economics for BPA is now the subject of dispute.

As opponents to BPA’s curtailment policy continue to stoke what’s become a national debate over power transmission rights, one thing is clear: The sparring over BPA’s decision to supress 97,557 megawatts of wind power is just the first round in what’s likely to become a prolonged legal fight.

Recent comments made to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission accuse BPA of abusing the wind curtailment policy – under the guise of aiding endangered fish – to manipulate power markets toward favorable pricing for hydropower.

Aimed at helping renewable energy projects earn a permanent place in the Northwest, and on the power grid, such arguments are inching forward in three legal and policy arenas with no sign of a settlement. Meanwhile, regional meetings are planned to help draft a new policy for the BPA in 2012."

Read the full article from Sustainable Business Oregon at: http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2011/07/new-challenges-emerge-in-wind-vs.html