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[E3 wise]

EnergyBoom.com- By Joseph Baker on January 23, 2012

  On top of Green Mountain, just southwest of Keyser, in Mineraly County, the Pinnacle Wind Farm at NewPage is now delivering electricity to Maryland's power grid. The 23 wind turbine installation has a 55 MW generation capacity which is enough energy to power 14,000 homes.

EMG, a wholly owned subsidiary of Edison International, purchased the wind project from US Wind Force in April 2011, and soon after broke ground on construction.

Including the Pinnacle project, EMG has a wind portfolio made up of 30 projects currently in operation or under construction.  The company, which boasts a development pipeline with the potential to generate an estimated 3,700 MW, is seemingly primed to grow its footprint in the U.S. wind market.

  Two-thirds of the electricity generated at Pinnacle is being sold to the Maryland Department of General Services and one-third to the University of Maryland through long term power purchase agreements (PPA).

  In 2009, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley officially announced the Pinnacle project as one of four utility-scale renewable energy projects to be awarded a 20-year PPA as part of the Generating Clean Horizons Initiative.

  Launched the year before, the Initiative sought to "spur large-scale, commercial renewable energy projects that would provide electricity to Maryland” by offering long term PPA to a host of clean energy developers that could place new renewable energy on the grid by 2014.  The Initiative is part of the strategy to hit the state's target of sourcing 20% of its electricity from renewables by 2020.

The Pinnacle project can be registered as a success for the Governor's plan to "spur"renewable energy development in Maryland. However, not all of the projects originally selected for Generating Clean Horizons experienced the same fate.

  Among the other company's selected was offshore wind developer BlueWater Wind which was to sell the state up to 55 MW of power from its Mid-Atlantic Wind Park off the coast of Delaware.

As of this month however, BlueWater Wind is no longer operating. In December, parent company NRG Energy Inc. said that it was putting its entire offshore wind development on hold and has since been shopping BlueWater Wind to potential buyers.

Nevertheless, according to the Maryland Energy Administration, the two projects now online under Generating Clean Horizons   provide 16% of the state’s electricity demand.

Shared by E3Wise

[still learning]

Interesting how much changing the capitalization of a letter can change a the meaning of a sentence.

Above is:
"Nevertheless, according to the Maryland Energy Administration, the two projects now online under Generating Clean Horizons provide 16% of the state’s electricity demand"

At a Maryland Energy Administration web page is similar wording that has a very different meaning:
"The program, which powers 16% of the State's own load through renewable resources..."  
http://www.energy.st...ANDWINDFARM.pdf

Looks to me that that 16% is referring to what the state government itself buys, not what all the electricity consumers in the state of Maryland buy.  I'm not exactly sure though, because both sources seem to mix up energy and power ("76 megawatts of energy" [megawatts are power, not energy]) and "sell the state up to 55 MW of power" (usually energy is what is paid for, megawatt-hours not power [megawatts]).

Part of the trouble is that while energy and power are different (but related), some journalists don't seem to undertand the distinction.  On your electric bill you pay for kilowatt-hours (energy), not kilowatts (power).  Or maybe they do understand but choose to write as though readers don't understand.

So, is that 16% what the State government buys (laudable) or what the entire state purchases (astounding)?.

[E3 wise]

Hello Still Learning-  You know you got them again, are you sure you are not a professional journalist or proof reader because for every posting I have put up you have interjected issues that are not only correct but timely and relevant. I made some phone calls today after reading your posting.  A friend of mine at the DOE says that Maryland is asserting that 16% of all the current electrical energy produced in the state is from renewable sources.  Now to be clear this includes hydroelectric which the DOE classifies as Renewable energy, I believe you had said in the past that you thought Hydroelectric was not a renewable if I remember correctly.

    Anyway Maryland state RPS  is trying to reach a 20% renewable by 2022.  With this said like many states they are trying to reach these levels early.  You know I have been working on a book for several months and have thought about posting some of it here on line, problem is I can’t decide if it would be good or bad for you to read it because I am afraid you would tear it apart.

Yet all kidding aside, honestly this is probably a good thing because in the case of threads I have written your input has made them more complete and correct so I mean this honestly- keep up the good work and help keep these threads honest and relevant.
   Thanks again
  E3Wise