Wonky Wednesday: Whither Wind?

Next Tuesday, May 22, we should have a final determination from the Public Service Commission (PSC) in the form of a formal order, and concurrence from DNREC, OMB and the Controller General. I expect that the PSC will formally adopt its decision from last week to direct Delmarva Power to begin negotiations with Bluewater Wind and with either Conectiv or NRG for a backup generating facility.

Gov. Minner still seems to think that there may be a role for coal gasification, though, as the News Journal reports, others are sceptical:

A natural gas plant is suited for that backup role, said Dave Bayless, a professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio University.

A natural gas plant is able to fire up quickly, but a coal gasification plant starts up more slowly, he said. That means a coal plant used as a backup would be less responsive during peak demand periods, he said.

A coal gasification plant, while cleaner than a traditional coal plant, sends plenty of pollutants into the atmosphere upon startup and shutdown, he said.

“That would be the worst possible thing to do with IGCC,” Bayless said, referring to coal gasification, also called integrated gasification combined cycle technology. “If you want a backup, use natural gas.”

Over at TommyWonk, I’ve got more on why Delaware should be wary of including coal in the mix, given that investors are being warned of the technological and economic uncertainties.

John Carney has finally spoken up on the issue, taking a somewhat different, though typically cautious, view:

In a rare public divergence with the governor, Lt. Gov. John Carney has endorsed using wind power as a long-term answer to Delaware’s energy needs.

John Carney has been constrained is what he can say on the subject by his own native caution and the need to work inside the administration. Jack Markell, who is freer to speak up, is already looking ahead to the next stage:

Markell said Monday he supports the PSC’s directive to Delmarva. “I’ll be even more comfortable when everyone gets in a room and starts talking,” he said.

Jack has been right on top of this process, first with his observation that ensuring long term price stability is essential to the public interest, and more recently with his letter to Delmarva urging it to reconsider its refusal to negotiate. Even though Delmarva wisely backed off its intransigence of two weeks ago, it could still drag out the negotiations to prevent a wind farm from being built in Delaware. Pressure from our state government, and from the state’s citizens, will be essential to driving this process to a successful conclusion.