Extra Costs incurred by a
Wind Turbine Programme

An important part of the costing of a wind turbine programme is the money needed to extend and improve the transmission and distribution systems so that power can be accepted from wind inputs which are often large distances from where the power is needed.

There are two significant costs: that of extending the network itself (pylons, cables, infrastructure); the other cost refers to the transmission losses over those distances. These costs should be debited to the wind energy producer because they are a direct consequence of the wind energy programme.


George Wood: retired Grid Controller:

The Energy Market Reform should start charging remote electricity generation (such as Scottish wind-turbines) for transmission losses and charge surpluses for exports to Scotland for when there's no wind. An uplift of 15% of the agreed market price would be appropriate.

These transmission losses costs are currently paid by each and every one of us as the end consumer, as a result of divvying-up the electricity market balancing cost. Transmission losses of this nature used to be accounted for in this way, pre-privatisation in 1990. A return to that sensible costing system, taking it out of the BETTA balancing costs, would be appropriate, especially if Alex Salmond wants Scotland to trade as a separate entity, and there should be no constrained-off generation payments for excessive wind-turbine outputs that would otherwise overload the transmission lines.That would make the costings more realistic and it would incentivise Scotland to hold its own standby and reserve generation capability.



habitat21; published by permission of George Wood.