- Cowlitz PUD

Renewable ResourcesWind GenerationIn recent years, installed wind generation has increased in the WECC Region (anarea extending from Canada to Mexico, including all or a portion of 14 westernUS states). In the Pacific Northwest over 1,700 megawatts have been addedsince 1997. Given state mandated renewable portfolio standards (such as I-937in Washington), the competition and costs for new turbines is expected toincrease.Although the fuel for wind generation is free, wind farms tend have low capacityfactors and highly variable generating profiles. As a result, there is usually anassociated shaping charge that accounts for the expense of keeping somedispatchable resource on standby to react to changes in wind farm output.Figure 14Wind Resource Potential (Source: Renewable Energy Atlas of the West)For the IRP, wind generating operational parameters were designed to mirrorthose of a typical central-station wind plant in central Washington located near anexisting substation and not requiring a large investment in transmission to bringthe energy onto the grid.33