Transmission Resource - PowerLine
Browse the transmission case study clearinghouse at:
http://www.sonoraninstitute.org/powerline.html
Get Social with the Sonoran Institute
Watch us on YouTube
Sonoran Institute on Facebook Save the Colorado River Delta
Discover our blogs
Follow our Tweets
Sign up for our newsletter:
Hummingbird Circle
Western Issues Renewable Energy Renewable Energy Transmission
Renewable Energy Transmission
Transmission planning is a process that involves diverse stakeholders such as transmission developers, solar developers, conservation groups, tribal representatives, government organizations, and local decision makers. Sonoran Institute’s reputation and experience helping stakeholders engage in the collaborative process will be critical to the success of each project.
Projects
Centennial West
Centennial West is a proposed high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) line running approximately 900 miles from a high-quality wind resource area in northeastern New Mexico to San Bernardino County, California. Visit the project website and the PowerLine case study page.
MSTI
A 500 kV project that will deliver electricity from Montana to customers in the Western United States. Visit the MSTI project website, the Sonoran Institute MSTI page, and the PowerLine case study page.
Southline
Southline Transmission project is a proposed 345/500 KV line linking substations near Afton, New Mexico and Tucson, Arizona. Visit the BLM's Southline project page and the PowerLine case study page. Read the Scoping Comments on the Proposed Southline Transmission Project as presented by Sonoran Institute on behalf of 14 organizations.
SunZia
SunZia is a proposed double 500kv transmission line that would extend from Lincoln County, New Mexico, to Pinal County, Arizona. This 530-mile long originates in a high wind resource area and interconnects with the grid in order to deliver power to markets in Arizona and California. Visit the SunZia project website and BLM's SunZia project page.
Policy
The Sonoran Institute supports federal, state, and local policies that facilitate solar development in areas with the best solar resources and the fewest environmental impacts. Ideally, it is concentrated in already disturbed areas near existing transmission lines and other infrastructure.
Western Area Power Administration (WAPA)
Under the direction from the US Department of Energy, the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) is taking a leadership role in transitioning to a more resilient and flexible electric grid and to achieving much greater coordination among system operators. WAPA is a wholesale electricity supplier, serving cities and towns, rural electric cooperatives and irrigation districts, and Native American tribes. It manages more than 10,000 MW of hydropower and 17,000 miles of transmission lines. WAPA is currently soliciting public comments on ways that it can capitalize on cost-saving new smart grid technologies and eliminate the risk of power outages. To read the Sonoran Institute's comments at a recent public workshop hosted by WAPA, click here.
Survey of Arizona Siting Stakeholders
Sonoran Institute commissioned K. R. Saline and Associates, PLC, to conduct interviews of stakeholders in the Arizona power plant and transmission line siting process. The purpose of the survey was to obtain stakeholders’ comments on the current siting process—where it functions well, where it could function better, and what particular improvements could be made, specifically through reform of the siting statutes. Read the report here.