WATT

Join the WATT Coalition and guest speakers to discuss the results of Unlocking the Queue, a forthcoming study by the Brattle Group on the impacts of Grid-Enhancing Technologies (GETs) on renewable energy deployments. The event is scheduled for February 24, 2021 at 10 am ET.

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Improving grid operations could enable thousands of new renewable energy projects across the country – the technologies exist today and are ready for deployment. 

Representative Kathy Castor, Chair of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and a panel of experts on transmission planning will discuss how Grid-Enhancing Technologies (GETs) can unlock new clean energy potential. 

This event marks the release of Unlocking the Queue, an in-depth report by The Brattle Group studying the impacts of GETs to accelerate renewable development, focusing on Kansas and Oklahoma as a case study. The report quantifies the benefits of GETs on new renewable energy development, local jobs, cost savings, and carbon emissions. Unlocking the Queue uses a sophisticated model for the regional case-study and uses the findings to estimate national impact. 

The event and the report are sponsored by the WATT Coalition

Keynote Speaker: Representative Kathy Castor, Chair of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis 

Presentation of Report Findings: Jay Caspary, Vice President, Grid Strategies 

Panelists: 

  • Rudolph Wynter, President & COO, Wholesale Networks and US Capital Delivery, National Grid 
  • Al Tamimi, Vice President, Transmission Planning & Policy, Sunflower Electric Power 
  • Rodica Donaldson, Senior Director, Transmission Strategy, EDF Renewables North America 
  • Nora Mead Brownell, EPSY Energy Solutions and former FERC Commissioner 

Moderator: Jenny Erwin, Chair, WATT Coalition and Director, Strategic Marketing, Smart Wires 

Unlocking the Queue is a case study focused on Kansas and Oklahoma

Kansas and Oklahoma are two of the most wind-rich states in the United States. Their transmission grids were designed for centralized power stations, but the boom in wind power means that electricity is being generated further from cities. Transmission constraints cause congestion on lines, generator curtailment, and prevent new renewable energy development. Both states are in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), a regional transmission organization which coordinates transmission planning in the region and manages 68,000 miles of transmission lines. 

Real-time price contours in Kansas and Oklahoma show the price impact of significant transmission congestion, which also led to thousands of megawatts of curtailed wind generation on the morning of February 4, 2021