Wind Energy & Transmission: The South Dakota Landscape

Wind Energy & Transmission: The South Dakota Landscape was a conference held yesterday and completed today in Sioux Falls. Its intent was to create discussions about wind development in the state and roadblocks to realizing a significant development of the potential annual 1,030 billion kWhs of wind power South Dakotans enjoy [of course "enjoyment" depends on "who's ox is being gored"].

Sponsors of the conference were
American Wind Energy Association
National Wind Coordinating Collaborative
Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO)
and a number of regional power companies.

Although MISO often is blamed for the complexities of selling and delivering SD wind power in response to RFP by municipalities and orgs in Renewable Portfolio Standard states that have historically high electricity rates, the causes of complexities and slow action are the

• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and
• our own silence

on transmission line planning, siting, and funding.

Farmers, ranchers, and other ag business operators are experts at running their operations; to become expert in wind farming and other farm energy production, they have two choices.

1) become equally expert on the economics of wind farming- which I call "aerinomics-" and interstate electricity selling or

2) let wind developers and power companies assume the role of "expert" to do all of the "heavy lifting" and retain 98% of wind farming revenue.

Facts from the presenters

• demand for electricity will continue to increase
• selling electricity interstate will remain complex for years to come
• transmission lines will be the "interstate highway system" that every power generator and consumer will use and benefit from and
• individual action is critical to successful construction of transmission lines "In My Back Yard" if each of us wants to own "modern necessities."

Modern necessities
You needn't look any further than this computer screen, computer, and internet connection for three. But look around your home or place of business; what pumps or motors are in use? Do you have capacitor banks to use electricity more efficiently?

Do you have a

• washer/dryer
• TVs
• radios and
• all that other stuff that makes modern life "modern."

That's why we need transmission lines "In My Back Yard."