Legalectric

It’s about as perfectly beeeeauuuuuteeeful a spring day as can be found anywhere.  From my desk looking out an easterly window towards the river, this Salem plume would be visible if a block’s worth of houses weren’t in the way — and unfortunately, not being able to see it does reduce its presence, much like the way my Prairie Island nuclear plant is nestled behind a bluff, but directly upwind and upriver…  Here in this nuclear zone, they don’t get calendars, they don’t get pottasium iodide, though they do have the nuke sirens.

The May 8, 2007 meeting of the Delaware Public Service Commission will be held at Wesley College, Dover, in Room 206 of the H.B. duPont College Center beginning at 10:00 a.m.

There have been some very interesting reports coming out of the PSC lately, things that look like thoughtful energy planning — and I hope it’s not a ruse. There was that staff recommendation of a wind/gas combo on the RFP side of things, and the recommendation focused on the broader policy issues that need to be addressed, those pesky little things like the need for a portfolio approach, the state’s dependence on transmission and need for its own generation… like wow!

Delaware PSC staff – wind/gas combo!

Then there’s a report about transmission and generator interconnection:

Generator Interconnection Study – Powerworld

And a short update/correction with additional runs on the RFP evaluation:

Independent Consultant Addendum

Overland’s take? The staff recommendation is a good option, in the public interest, and it gets wind going as dispatchable generation, removing one of the primary objections to wind, it’s variability. The IRP is the venue to make the larger policy changes, where, as staff noted in the RFP recommendation, a portfolio approach can be established. This is where the policy directives establishing DSM with TEETH (not present in DE yet), establishing the need for Delaware generation to prevent extortion by generation and transmission owners, demonstrating the need for specifically sited generation that would eliminate voltage problems in this electrical island. This RFP docket is one step and can propel the state into energy planning in the IRP — that’s what I’d like to see.

Imagine DE fulfilling its “baseload” needs with dispatchable wind — wind in combo with backup generation! Arizona is using concentrated solar and gas, Minnesota is using wind/gas and wind/hydro, Delaware can do wind/gas!

Imagine DE, through policy declarations, systematically choosing not to buy dirty coal! Indian River Units 1 and 2 are only 160 MW, not hard to replace. If Xcel can do it (well, we know, anything but IGCC!), imagine…

An MPR piece on the Bluewater Wind proposal in the RFP:

Offshore wind proposal gains fans in Delaware

Here’s the Delaware State Treasurer standing up for the public interest (stolen from Green Delaware): State Treasurer Jack Markell’s Letter to Delmarva Power.
Plus there’s a new report – a consultant’s view of reregulation! Where is it??? Can’t find it. I’ll post it as soon as I do…