Electric power from offshore wind via synoptic-scale interconnection

World wind power resources are abundant, but their utilization could be limited because wind fluctuates rather than providing steady power. We hypothesize that wind power output could be stabilized if wind generators were located in a meteorologically designed configuration and electrically connecte...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2010-04, Vol.107 (16), p.7240-7245
Main Authors: Kempton, Willett, Pimenta, Felipe M, Veron, Dana E, Colle, Brian A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Conservation of Natural Resources - methods
Correlations
Economic fluctuations
Electric power
Electric Power Supplies
Electrical grids
Electricity
Electricity distribution
Energy resources
Energy-Generating Resources
Environmental Monitoring
Generators
Geography
Meteorology
Physical Sciences
Power Plants
Simulation
United States
Weather
Wind
Wind power
Wind velocity
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Summary:World wind power resources are abundant, but their utilization could be limited because wind fluctuates rather than providing steady power. We hypothesize that wind power output could be stabilized if wind generators were located in a meteorologically designed configuration and electrically connected. Based on 5 yr of wind data from 11 meteorological stations, distributed over a 2,500 km extent along the U.S. East Coast, power output for each hour at each site is calculated. Each individual wind power generation site exhibits the expected power ups and downs. But when we simulate a power line connecting them, called here the Atlantic Transmission Grid, the output from the entire set of generators rarely reaches either low or full power, and power changes slowly. Notably, during the 5-yr study period, the amount of power shifted up and down but never stopped. This finding is explained by examining in detail the high and low output periods, using reanalysis data to show the weather phenomena responsible for steady production and for the occasional periods of low power. We conclude with suggested institutions appropriate to create and manage the power system analyzed here.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0909075107