From Root River Energy's Spring 2009 Newsletter...
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) has proposed an ambitious plan to increase wind energy’s contribution to the American electricity supply. The goal is for wind energy to provide 20% of the electrical needs of the United States by 2030. However, before this goal can be achieved, significant improvements must be done to America’s power grid. According to a 2008 report by the Department of Energy, attaining 20% of our energy from wind by the year 2030 is technically and economically feasible.
To reach 20% by 2030, 300,000 MW of wind energy and more than 12,000 miles of high voltage, 765-kV transmission lines would need to be developed. Although several transmission line initiatives exist, few have plans to install transmission lines at this high capacity level.
However, one transmission provider, ITC Holdings Corporation, has responded by developing a plan for a network of transmission lines referred to as the “Green Power Express.” The Green Power Express will include up to 3,000 miles of 765-kV transmission lines that would carry up to 12,000 MW of renewable energy.
The “Green Power Express,” if approved and built as currently outlined, will run right through one of Root River Energy’s proposed points of interconnection. National Wind, along with a number of other developers and utilities, has endorsed the Green Power Express and signed on as a supporter.
Project construction will begin after all assessments have been completed, approvals have been received, and the routing of the project is solidified. Given the unprecedented scale of the project, ITC hopes to have the Green Power Express fully in service by 2020. Recent approval of investment incentives by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will help make the project economically viable and allow it to move forward at a steady pace on the path towards construction and operation.