Renewable Energy

Additional Project Experience

Various Wind Farm Developers
Oregon & Washington
ELCON has provided the following services for several different wind farm projects in Oregon and Washington.

  1. Consulted on the Northwest interconnection and transmission rules, options and practices.
  2. Completed power flow studies to develop strategies for interconnection to the regional electrical grid. Worked with receiving utilities to develop workable interconnections.
  3. Developed interconnection applications to allow connection of project transmission lines to regional transmission grid.
  4. Determined reactive compensation requirements and allowable switched capacitor bank sizes for wind farms.
  5. Completed cost estimates of project collector systems for wind farms. Completed cost estimates for substations and transmission lines. 

Goodnoe Hills Wind Energy
Goldendale, Washington
This wind energy project will produce up to 150 MW. It included wind-turbine step-up transformers, a 35kV collector system, a new project substation and a new 230kv transmission line. ELCON reviewed Bonneville Power Administration’s Transient Stability Studies and requested additional studies. Based on the results of the studies, ELCON proposed high speed switched capacitors in place of the dynamic var devices which were originally requested. This recommendation and change resulted in saving the client about $1 million. 

Oregon Trail Wind Farm
The Dalles, Oregon
Wasco Electric Cooperative had a request from the Oregon Trail Wind Farm LLC to interconnect its proposed 9 MW wind farm into WEC’s 115kV circuit between the BPA DeMoss Substation to the PPM Schoolhouse Substation. ELCON completed the required interconnection facility study. The associated reported presented the following information:

  1. The Interconnection Location
  2. The Substation Configuration
  3. The change of ownership points between the Wasco Electric Cooperative and the Oregon Trail Wind Farm.
  4. Communication Requirements
  5. Metering
  6. Anticipated interconnection and operational costs for Oregon Trail Wind Farm