Great plans are underway to increase wind and solar power use in the US. A proposal to build a giant energy hub in spanning 20 miles in New Mexico by a company called Tres Amigas, will connect the three major US power grids. The potential to generate wind and solar power here is high, but the demand for that power in the area is low. Connecting the power grids will help transport electricity to the coasts where it is needed. Tres Amigas’ power hub could level out the varying prices of electricity in different areas. Areas where electricity price is low may see an increase, but places where electricity is expense will see a drop in price. The project is estimated to finish in an optimistic 5 years, which many observers believe to be quite short for the sheer magnitude of the project.
So far it seems that Tres Amigas is getting a lot of favorable response. Partners are already in place to supply the huge cables that will be used to transport electricity, and several transmission companies have agreed to cooperate and build transmission lines.
On the downside, the Texas’ state regulated and isolated power grid (called ERCOT) may not be so cooperative. The jurisdiction on ERCOT is tight and Texas may not be willing to compromise that control.
Read about it here-
The New York Times -
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/business/energy-environment/08grid.html
The Tres Amigas website-
http://www.tresamigasllc.com/
-Tristia VanNiekerk
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