Breaking News

The Interior Department has approved a transmission line across Federal land that will connect a 139-megawatt solar farm in Southern California to the power grid.

First Solar Inc.’s  Campo Verde solar project will be built on private agricultural lands about 5 miles north of the Mexican border.

According to Interior, the thin-film photovoltaic plant is expected to power nearly 42,000 homes, support more than 250 construction jobs and generate $17.5 million in local tax revenue over its lifetime. First Solar said the plant will use no water.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s approval allows up to one mile of transmission line to connect the project to San Diego Gas and Electric’s Imperial Valley substation. The utility has agreed to purchase the power for the next 20 years.

The agency’s environmental assessment said that there are multiple solar projects proposed in the area and that the 230-kilovolt transmission line will contain additional capacity to connect them.

The “gen-tie” line follows a designated utility corridor through the Bureau of Land Management’s Yuha Basin Area of Critical Environmental Concern. The developer has agreed to provide habitat for the flat tailed horned lizard and burrowing owl to offset the 17-acre right of way.

The transmission line is the 32nd major onshore renewable energy project involving Federal lands that, when built, will generate about 7,400 MW of power, Interior said.

California law requires utilities to get 33 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020.  Source: Greenwire, 9/27/12

July 25
11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. MDT

Join the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs, DOE Tribal Energy Program and Western’s Renewables Program July 25 for the free webinar, Grid Reliability – Impacts to Tribal Renewable Projects.  

Compliance with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s  (NERC) reliability standards became mandatory in 2008, raising the importance of compliance programs throughout the electric industry and exposing noncompliant entities to monetary sanctions. This webinar provides an overview of the purpose and organization of a compliance program, what parts of the bulk electric system the program covers, the range of reliability standards affecting power operations and maintenance, responsible registered entities and how reliability requirements can impact tribal renewable projects.

This is the seventh webinar in the Tribal Energy Self-sufficiency series covering such topics and tribal renewable development opportunities, transmission policy, the future of the transmission grid, details about NERC compliance and how to  request transmission service.  The final webinar, DOE Office of Indian Energy’s START Program Status Updates, is scheduled for Sept. 26, 2012. Presentations from past webinars are available in Western’s Renewables Program webcast library.   

This event is free, but space is limited and registration  is required. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Western is taking a leadership role in transitioning to a more resilient and flexible electric grid and to achieving much greater coordination among system operators. If we can take greater advantage of clean energy resources, while at the same time reducing costs to customers, we can bring the benefits of increased connectivity and enhanced reliability to more Americans. You can learn more about in Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu’s May 30, 2012 blog post.

We need your input

Your leadership and participation will help guide this effort to transform our transmission grid into a 21st century system, stimulate job creation, take greater advantage of new technologies and existing resources, reduce price and supply risk and advance our international competitiveness. We look forward to working closely with you throughout the process.

Please register for one of our events. Registration will end two weeks before each event:

July 17—Rapid City, S.D.
July 18—Billings, Mont. (listening session only)
July 24—Phoenix, Ariz.
July 26—Sacramento/Folsom, Calif. (held in Rancho Cordova)
July 31—Loveland, Colo.
Aug. 2—Sioux Falls, S.D.

If you can’t attend a meeting, you can still comment via email. Please provide your name and identify your organizational affiliation in your submission. Your comments will be most useful to the team if submitted by Aug. 3; however, we will accept comments until Aug. 17. The team will review all comments submitted, but you should not expect a response to your comments.

 May 30, 2012
11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. MDT

Utilities’ generation portfolios are changing—often faster than the infrastructure that supports it—and power providers now face the challenge of integrating new generation and demand (load) response technologies into a grid that was designed to operate a different way. Western, the U.S. DOE Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs and the DOE Tribal Energy Program invite tribal utility managers and resource engineers to Today’s Energy Supply – Yesterday’s Grid, a free, informative webinar May 30 to explore strategies for meeting these demands.

Speakers include experts from the DOE Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research and the Western Grid Group. Presentations will cover:

1. Key findings in the MIT Energy Initiative Report on the changes needed in the US Grid to handle expected challenges such as the influx of electric cars and wind and solar generation
2. Western Grid Group’s Clean Energy Vision Project, which charts a sustained, orderly transition from the carbon intensive electricity system of today to a cleaner, smarter and healthier electricity system of the future.

There is no charge to attend the webinar, however you must register to participate.

Feb. 29, 2012
Webinar 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m MST

Learn how transmission policy is established and enforced, and the impact policy has on transmission resources at a free webinar, Unwinding Transmission Policies, Feb. 29 at 11:00 am to 12:30 pm MST. 

This webinar is the fourth in a series presented by the DOE Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs, DOE Tribal Energy Program and Western. The series will continue through September 2012 and cover topics such as tribal renewable project opportunities, transmission policy, vision of tomorrow’s transmission grid, National Energy Regulatory Commission (NERC) compliance and requesting transmission service. 

Space is limited, so register today. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Join Western, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs, DOE’s Tribal Energy Program for a free webinar, Overview of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Program, Jan. 25, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM MST.

 This event is part of an ongoing series of webinars to promote tribal energy sufficiency and foster economic development and employment on tribal lands through renewable energy and energy-efficiency technologies. The webinars will:

• Discuss methods for tribes to evaluate and develop their renewable energy resources,
• Help them build the knowledge and skills essential for sustainable energy projects,
• Outline a process of strategic energy planning for tribes interested in improving their energy security, sovereignty and local economy,
• Provide renewable energy and energy-efficiency information for tribal decision makers, and
• Offer ways for tribes and utilities to partner in renewable energy and energy-efficiency development.

The webinar series began in August 2011 and will continue through September 2012.  Future topics include:

Feb. 29 – Unwinding Transmission Policies
Learn what transmission policy is, how it is established and who enforces it. Discussions will cover today’s policy issues, such as Order 1000 (Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation), and their potential impact on transmission resources. Register now.

March 28 – Understanding the Interconnection and Transmission Service Queues
Western Area Power Administration has more than 16,000 megawatts of proposed renewable resources in its collective Large Generator Interconnection Queues, representing more than 79 requests. Learn about the procedure for interconnection, how to request transmission service and what tribes can do to gain access to the transmission system. Register now.

May 30 – Today’s Energy Supply – Yesterday’s Grid
Join an informative discussion on how utilities’ generation portfolios are changing—often faster than the grid infrastructure that supports it. Learn how grid operators are integrating new generation and demand (load) response technologies into a system that was not designed for these tasks. Presentations will include transmission studies from the Western Grid Group and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Register now.

July 25 – Grid Reliability – Impacts to Tribal Renewable Projects
In 2008, NERC Reliability Standards Compliance became mandatory, with fines for non-compliance. This has raised the importance of compliance programs throughout the electric industry. This webinar provides an overview of the purpose and organization of a compliance program, and how tribal renewable projects can be impacted by reliability requirements. Register now.

Sept. 26 – DOE Office of Indian Energy’s START Program Status Updates
Get your update on the DOE Office of Indian Energy’s Strategic Technical Assistance Response Team (START) and the range of projects that were selected in 2012. START and Alaska START aim to advance clean energy generation in Indian Country by providing Native American tribes and Alaska Native governments with strategic technical assistance. Register now.

Presentations from past webinars are available from the Public Renewables Partnership and will be updated with each webinar.

The EPA Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that supports commercial and institutional energy users’ procurement of green power by offering expert advice, technical support, tools and resources.

Feb. 7-8, 2012
Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel
Denver, Colo.

The Department of Energy’s Office of  Indian Energy Policy and Programs and the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability are sponsoring the second Tribal Leader Forum, Exploring the Business Link Opportunity: Transmission & Clean Energy Development in the West.  This  two-day forum is designed for tribal leaders to  meet with other tribal leaders, energy industry executives and Federal officials to promote education and information sharing about transmission and clean energy development in Indian Country.

The basics of transmission will be featured on the first day to provide context to transmission regulation, development, interconnection and service and financing issues to be discussed throughout the event.  Attendees will also learn the latest on Federal and regional transmission developments and planning activities in the West and explore recent trends in financing clean energy projects. The event will also provide tribal leaders and executives with the opportunity to directly discuss best practices in tribal project partnerships and investments. 

The agenda covers such topics as transmission project updates, project financing, new technologies and tribal case studies. The speakers represent tribes, industry groups, private developers, utilities and state and Federal agencies. Western Administrator Tim Meeks will lead a discussion on Federal projects to expand transmission in the West.

Transmission and Clean Energy Development is the second in a series of events the Office of Indian Energy is planning. The Southwest Solar Forum, held in Palm Springs, Calif., in December 2011, was well-attended by major utilities as well as tribal representatives.

There is no cost to attend the forum, but registration is required.  Attendance is limited to 130 people.  To register, send your name, contact information and e-mail address to the Office of Indian Energy by Feb. 1, 2012.  As soon as your registration is confirmed, you will receive a confirmation notice.

There is still time to contribute your views to a national survey on the effectiveness of smart grid communications being conducted by Distributed Energy Financial Group, LLC . Each respondent will receive the analysis report.

The survey assesses the electric sector from diverse perspectives. So far, every U.S. state and several Canadian provinces are represented, with respondents from vertically integrated utilities to competitive suppliers to public interest organizations to consultants.

You will answer questions about smart grid activities in different stages of development. Some utilities are taking a “slow build” approach, while others are “flying under the radar”; some are relying on “active engagement” of consumers. You will be asked about different approaches regarding consumer education and engagement, lessons learned, and how utilities can save time, reduce costs, engage consumers, and achieve their goals.

DEFG LLC always shares its summary report with everyone who takes the survey. Last year, nearly 600 people responded to a survey on prepaid energy, and this topic — smart grid communications — is similarly timely and vital.

Take the survey today, and while you are at it, drop Energy Services a line and share your thoughts and experiences on smart grid communications.

Free webinar
Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. MST

The Department of Energy’s Tribal Energy Program and Western Area Power Administration are presenting Overview of US Department of Energy Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs), a free webinar, Nov. 30 at 11 a.m. Mountain time. 

Speaker Jon Worthington of Western will provide a description of PMAs and cover their service territories, power resources, role in delivering Federal power to customers and methods of determining power rates.  A discussion on preference customer qualifications is also part of the agenda.

This is the second webinar in a series for Native American tribes scheduled to run through July 2012. Presentations from the Aug. 17 webinar, Challenges and Opportunities with Tribal Renewable Energy Development, are available from the Public Renewables Partnership. Future topics include transmission policy, vision of tomorrow’s transmission grid, what you need to know about Federal Energy Regulatory Commission compliance, and overview of requesting transmission service.

This series highlights key technical, policy and market issues that tribes need to understand to successfully respond to utility requests for proposals for renewable energy generation. Participants will increase their knowledge about the competitive power markets and other issues surrounding renewable resource development.

Tribe members who are interested in responding to utility-offered renewable RFPs, or who would like to learn more about the competitive power market, and utility professionals interested in working with tribes on renewable energy development should register today for Overview of US Department of Energy Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs).  After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Learn the latest about planning, integration, operations and new technologies for renewable energy generation and transmission on Oct. 18 at the Renewable Planning and Operations Conference in Denver, Colo.

Presented by the Rocky Mountain Electric League  (RMEL), the conference agenda targets professionals in electricity generation and transmission, as well as those who work in sustainable energy programs. Speakers will discuss renewable energy, such as wind, solar and biomass, and cover regulatory and policy issues.

Kicking off the program is a panel on Utility-Owned vs. Purchase Power Agreements. Ron Rebenitsch of Basin Electric Power Cooperative and Dan Brickley of SRP will join Greg Greenwood of Westar Energy to explore the pros and cons of engaging in purchase power agreements and/or owning renewables.

Luke O’Dwyer, also of SRP, will talk about the challenges of interconnecting renewable generator systems. His presentation will cover reliability studies, construction timing, equipment and design changes and interconnection queue management.

Discover how Nebraska utilities used the Nebraska Statewide Wind Integration Study to better understand impacts of wind energy facilities being built in the state. Jon Iverson of Omaha Public Power District will discuss what Nebraska’s largest power providers learned from simulated wind scenarios.

Other presentations will cover wind forecasting for load management, demand-side management, system regulation, storage and more. Attendees will receive a continuing education certificate from RMEL worth 6.0 Professional Development Hours.

The Denver Marriott South at Park Meadows provides the location and lodging for the conference. Register today, and reserve your room .