Midwest grid sets wind record in January

OREANDA-NEWS. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) set a new wind peak in January of 11.9GW, the third new wind peak in as many months.

In two months, MISO's hourly wind peak rose by 7pc to 11.9GW on 8 January from 11.1GW on 17 November. An intermediate peak was set 31 December.

Wind farm output is generally highest in the spring and fall months. Before the current 2014/15 winter season, MISO's wind peak was 10.7GW set in March 2014.

In December, MISO saw 3,317GWh of wind generation or 6pc of total power use, little-changed from the same month in 2013.

During 2014, monthly wind output ranged from a low of 1,371GWh in August, or just 2.2pc of MISO energy, to a high 4,637GWh in November, or 8.8pc of total electricity, according to a monthly grid report.

MISO's installed wind capacity is 13,726MW. More than three-fourths of MISO's wind generation originates in Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota.

Active projects in excess of 15,000MW are seeking interconnection studies from the grid.

Beginning 1 March, MISO will move to allow Manitoba Hydro to submit price-sensitive bids and offers in the real-time market which should lead to more economic dispatch of flexible hydro generation and reduce the need to curtail midwest wind generation.

Wind generators are setting prices across the MISO footprint more often but coal and natural gas are still the most common marginal fuels.

Wholesale power market prices at key MISO hubs so far this winter are 18-27pc below the year-earlier averages as winter 2014-15 is milder than last winter. Indiana peak day-ahead prices since 1 December averaged \$35.79/MWh and Entergy values averaged \$31.90/MWh.

Forced outage rates and uplift payments in December 2014 also were lower than a year earlier, according to the report.