Queuing Up

Abstract

The knowledge base of the electric power system engineering community continues to grow with installed capacity of wind generation in North America. While this process has certainly occurred at other times in the industry with other technologies, the relatively explosive growth, the compressed time frames from project conception to commissioning, and the unconventional characteristics of wind generation make this period in the industry somewhat unique. Large wind generation facilities are necessarily evolving to look more and more like conventional generating plants in terms of their ability to interact with the transmission network in a way that does not compromise performance or system reliability. Such an evolution has only been possible through the cumulative contributions of an ever-growing number of power system engineers who have delved into the unique technologies and technical challenges presented by wind generation. The industry is still only part of the way up the learning curve, however. Numerous technical challenges remain, and as has been found, each new wind generation facility has the potential to generate some new questions. With the IEEE PES expanding its presence and activities in this increasingly significant commercial arena, the prospects for staying "ahead of the curve" are brightened.