Pacific Northwest Coops Ordered to Rebalance Use of Hydropower and Wind Energy
Posted on Dec 12, 2011 in Grid & Infrastructure, Litigation, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Pacific Northwest Coops Ordered to Rebalance Use of Hydropower and Wind Energy
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ruled that the Bonneville Power Administration discriminated against wind interests by cutting back on wind production at times of high hydroelectric generation. FERC gave the BPA 90 days to come up with a new program. BPA announced an “environmental redispatch” policy last May in an effort to balance supply and demand and comply with salmon recovery goals in the region. After high river flows last spring, which were potentially harmful to salmon, BPA curtailed some wind generation in favor of hydropower. The wind generators sued, claiming the shutdowns cost them more than $2 million in tax and renewable energy credits. Click here to read more.
