Transmission is hot topic at wind seminar
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) recently kicked off its Wind Power Transmission Seminar in Indianapolis, Ind. at the hub of one of America’s fastest growing states for wind power. Indiana increased its installed wind power tenfold over the past two years. Meanwhile, wind manufacturing is powering as many as 2,000 Indiana jobs in at least 14 different Indiana factories including companies like Brevini, a major gearbox manufacturer in Muncie, Ind.
Over the two days, attendees at the Westin Indianapolis heard about the issues that are impacting transmission the most. The AWEA Wind Power Transmission Seminar is the leading U.S. transmission event dedicated solely to addressing the challenges and identifying the solutions to transmission and wind energy. The workshop brings together top experts from the wind industry, transmission sector, utilities, consulting, and policymaking worlds to discuss the progress being made, difficulties that remain, paths forward and lessons learned on wind energy transmission.
Attendees also heard keynote addresses from AWEA’s Senior Vice President of Public Policy, Rob Gramlich, Commissioner John Norris of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and John Bear, President and CEO of the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO).
“With roughly 35 per cent annual growth in the U.S. wind industry over the past five years, and almost 200,000 megawatts of proposed wind projects waiting to be connected to the power grid, the development of new transmission lines is vital to the continued growth of the wind industry,” said AWEA’s Gramlich, speaking before the event. “This conference will explore solutions to transmission bottlenecks that can help get cleaner, affordable and home-grown wind energy to market and create tens of thousands of new jobs.”
