PEI submarine transmission line energized

On August 29, 2017, a Canadian utility energized a new $142.5 million (CAD) undersea electric transmission system connecting Canada's Prince Edward Island to mainland New Brunswick. 

The Northumberland Strait Submarine Transmission System includes two 180-megawatt underwater cables, running 17 kilometers from Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick, to Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island.  They replace aging cables with a more limited transfer capability.  The project also includes new overhead transmission lines on land and an expanded substation. The cost was split by the federal Government of Canada (contributing up to $68.9 million from the Green Infrastructure Fund) and the Province of Prince Edward Island (contributing up to $73.6 million). 

The new submarine cables supply approximately 75% of the Island's electricity.  The cables are buried under the seabed in separate trenches. The project including the use of a marine excavator called a "Starfish" as well as a trenching remotely operated vehicle with a saw cutter.

They replace cables installed in 1977, when the island's electricity load was 95 megawatts.  In addition to the old cables' age, they were also insufficient -- PEI's load has grown to 262 megawatts by 2015.  While the island does have significant wind energy supply, utility Maritime Electric noted the need for firm power to back up wind's intermittent supply.  A press release announcing the Canadian government's 2015 decision to support the project describes it as the most significant on Prince Edward Island since the Confederation Bridge. 

Interest in submarine transmission cables is growing.  Improved marine technology, the difficulty of siting major linear infrastructure on land, and the growth of offshore wind and other remote renewable resources are all driving this trend, as is the need to provide reliable, affordable, clean power to consumers in island communities.

NYISO solar study announced

Solar power is booming in the U.S. -- but how will growth in solar photovoltaic generating capacity affect the electricity grid?  The operator of the state of New York's electric grid has announced a study of the potential for growth in solar power resources to determine their impact on grid operations over the next 15 years.

Solar panels recently developed in a farm field in Massachusetts.

The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) operates New York State's high-voltage transmission network, runs the state's wholesale electricity markets.  NYISO also evaluates trends in utility infrastructure development and usage, and what changes in these patterns imply for future infrastructure needs.

One such trend is the recent rapid growth in installed solar electric generating capacity.  In New York, a state government initiative known as NY-Sun aims to reduce solar installation costs by stimulating demand and increasing the number of solar PV systems installed in the state.  The NY-Sun program envisions the installation of more than 3,000 megawatts of customer-sited solar capacity by 2023, supported by about $150 million in annual state funding for solar PV projects.  Already, in the first two years of NY-Sun, a total of 316 megawatts of solar electric has been installed or is under contract.

Unlike standalone utility-scale solar development, the solar buildout directly triggered by the NY-Sun program will occur “behind the meter” — that is, on the customer's side of the utility meter, as opposed to a typical power plant sited remotely from customer load.  Nevertheless, increased consumption of power produced by distributed generation might affect NYISO's load forecasts or grid operations.  So too might the collective impacts of many generators with variable but correlated output.

To prepare for this future, NYISO has announced a "solar study" to evaluate the growing impact of sun-powered generation.  The study will focus on the following objectives:

• Developing solar forecasting tools and preparing 15-year forecasts of solar PV capacity for each of the 11 load zones in New York State
• Researching how other independent system operators and regional transmission organizations have integrated solar resources into their grids
• Evaluating solar generation variability and its impact on customer load served by the NYS electric systems.
• Reviewing operational impacts of various levels of solar and wind resources.

The results of NYISO's solar study are expected to be released in a report later this year.

Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2012

Last week the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 5892, the Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2012. The bill, introduced by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, is designed to implement a variety of measures promoting the production of electricity from small and conduit hydropower projects.

The bill opens with a series of Congressional findings regarding hydropower in the U.S.:

Congress finds that--

(1) the hydropower industry currently employs approximately 300,000 workers across the United States;

(2) hydropower is the largest source of clean, renewable electricity in the United States;

(3) as of the date of enactment of this Act, hydropower resources, including pumped storage facilities, provide--
(A) nearly 7 percent of the electricity generated in the United States; and
(B) approximately 100,000 megawatts of electric capacity in the United States;

(4) only 3 percent of the 80,000 dams in the United States generate electricity, so there is substantial potential for adding hydropower generation to nonpowered dams; and

(5) according to one study, by utilizing currently untapped resources, the United States could add approximately 60,000 megawatts of new hydropower capacity by 2025, which could create 700,000 new jobs over the next 13 years.

The bill goes on to implement a series of regulatory changes, including:

• Increasing the maximum size of hydro projects eligible for exemption from licensing from 5 MW to 10 MW 
• Promoting conduit hydropower – projects involving adding generation to existing pipes and canals
• Allowing FERC to extend a 3-year preliminary permit by up to 2 more years if the permittee worked diligently and in good faith
• Requiring FERC to investigate the development of a 2-year licensure process for developing hydropower at currently-unpowered dams and closed-loop pumped storage projects, and if feasible test the shortened process on one or more pilot projects
• Requiring the U.S. Department of Energy to study the potential of pumped storage to back up intermittent renewables and provide reliability, and to produce new hydropower from existing conduits

H.R. 5892 is now before the Senate for its consideration.