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Nine European countries have today signed a major agreement to develop the world's first large-scale offshore wind energy grid in the North and Irish seas, providing a boost to the continent's fast-expanding offshore wind industry. UK energy minister Lord Hunt joined with ministers from Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden and Ireland to sign the agreement on the sidelines of today's European Council meeting in Brussels.

According to a study by the Metatech Corporation, commissioned under Executive Order 13407 for assessment of vulnerability to geomagnetic storms, manufacturers presently have a backlog of nearly three years for all extra highvoltage transformers (230 kilovolts and above). Only one plant exists in the U.S.A. capable of manufacturing a transformer up to 345 kV. There is no manufacturing capability in the U.S.A. for 500 kV and 765 kV transformers, which represent the largest group of at-risk transformers in the U.S. power grid. The 500 and 765 kV transformers are the backbone of the grid that extends into regions that contain nearly 80 percent of the U.S. population, according to John Kappenman of Storm Analysis Consultants and Metatech Corp.

For many decades, the transformers that populate our power grids have led a fairly one-sided existence. Now, however, their world is being shaken up and a lot more is expected of them: They should cater for the plethora of renewable power sources appearing on the grid; they are required to help maintain grid power quality; they are expected to do their bit in reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and they have to fit in with smart grids. Of course, the traditional commercial pressures to decrease all-round costs, extend asset life, improve monitoring and optimize maintenance still remain.

"MENA countries are taking a two-pronged approach to addressing their power sector challenges," said Ben Gardner, president of Northeast Group. "The first is the installation of over 26 GW of solar capacity by 2024, led by Saudi Arabia. This will allow them to reduce their reliance on oil and gas power generation. The second approach is to deploy smart grid infrastructure that will help incorporate this solar power, enable better electricity demand management and improve reliability."

A tremendous effort is taking place worldwide to increase the amount of wind and solar generation interconnected to the grid, and it is very successful. Today’s power system has more renewable generation than ever before. With all the financial enticements, regulatory motivations and environmental inducements, tomorrow’s grid will only integrate more of it. As the 21st century power system builds out, it is going to include a lot more wind and solar generation than it does today. To make it all work, there are big changes taking place on the grid and the application of energy storage systems is one of those. They are going to play a critical role in the successful integration of renewable energy resources into the grid.

You can zip over to Metering.com for their quick summary. Or use this link to read the full report.

Superconductor cables, only recently available for utility applications, uniquely solve these issues. A single distribution voltage superconductor cable can carry amounts of power normally associated with transmission voltage levels, therefore eliminating the need for multiple cables and greatly simplifying placement issues.  Superconductor cables also have a unique dual-personality; under normal conditions they conduct power very efficiently, but during faults they actually limit the amount of current that can flow through them. This eliminates the risk of substation equipment damage from excessively high fault currents when paralleling substations. The installation of superconductor cable-powered bus ties between distribution substations serve as an efficient means to utilize more effectively and fully the existing power delivery infrastructure while simultaneously increasing reliability.