According to Goggin, “We’ve learned that wind works–wind energy can be reliably and cost- effectively integrated with the electric grid. Over a dozen wind integration studies in the U.S. and Europe, plus tens of thousands of hours of real-world grid operating experience, have put the misconceptions about wind energy to rest. Now the major challenge is disseminating what has been learned about wind integration. Just as our European counterparts found, in many ways the most difficult aspect of integrating a large amount of wind energy with the grid is not overcoming technical challenges, but simply convincing naysayers that it can be done.”
The U.S. wind industry added nearly 10,000 megawatts (MW) of new capacity in 2009, enough to power the equivalent of 2.4 million homes or generate as much electricity as three large nuclear power plants. The wind turbine fleet in place at year’s end—over 35,000 MW—is enough to power the equivalent of some 9.7 million homes.
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www.eba-net.org/docs/events/Reliability-Primer-Program-Schedule.pdf
