# Distribution Lines



## ohmontherange (May 7, 2008)

rlc3854 said:


> Took a little road trip from LA to CA and back on I-10. In the Hill country between San Antonio and Junction they are building a new HV distribution line. I could site the towers for over 100 miles. They are using three different types of towers and poles to support the lines. Is there anyone who knows if this project is private or public? Does anyone know where the power generation for this area is? I also saw lines being built for the California solar farms in the Indio area, you could see some of the panels from the interstate.


There are several large transmission line projects going on in West Texas. I believe they are running from the wind farms in the South Plains / Panhandle area to the Dallas area and south to possibly the San Antonio or Houston area. I don't know how many wind turbines are out here now or what the installed capacity is but the number is huge. This part of Texas in not part of the ERCOT Region but is part of the SPP. Most of the generating plants here are owned / operated by Xcel Energy and are coal or gas fired plants.


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## rlc3854 (Dec 30, 2007)

ohmontherange said:


> There are several large transmission line projects going on in West Texas. I believe they are running from the wind farms in the South Plains / Panhandle area to the Dallas area and south to possibly the San Antonio or Houston area. I don't know how many wind turbines are out here now or what the installed capacity is but the number is huge. This part of Texas in not part of the ERCOT Region but is part of the SPP. Most of the generating plants here are owned / operated by Xcel Energy and are coal or gas fired plants.


 
I think you hit the mark on the wind farms and the transmission lines heading toward Dallas. I couldn't spot the continued construction as I continued east on I-10 and I think it was I-25 that turns towards Dallas. If you know that hill country it is amazing how fast they are moving and the cost has to be in the $100's of millions.


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## ohmontherange (May 7, 2008)

rlc3854 said:


> I think you hit the mark on the wind farms and the transmission lines heading toward Dallas. I couldn't spot the continued construction as I continued east on I-10 and I think it was I-25 that turns towards Dallas. If you know that hill country it is amazing how fast they are moving and the cost has to be in the $100's of millions.


Google Texas Wind Power

Says there is 10,000 MW of installed capacity.

That ain't chicken feed...


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## don_resqcapt19 (Jul 18, 2010)

ohmontherange said:


> Google Texas Wind Power
> 
> Says there is 10,000 MW of installed capacity.
> 
> That ain't chicken feed...


But one hot day last summer, when they needed the power the most, there was less than 10% of that installed capacity available because there was very little wind.
In the previous summer they almost collapsed the Texas grid because there was a very sudden and sustained drop in the wind.


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## Cletis (Aug 20, 2010)

don_resqcapt19 said:


> But one hot day last summer, when they needed the power the most, there was less than 10% of that installed capacity available because there was very little wind.
> In the previous summer they almost collapsed the Texas grid because there was a very sudden and sustained drop in the wind.


They need to just plant some electromagnet high-temperature superconductors which can hold around 4 megajoules near the windmills


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## ohmontherange (May 7, 2008)

don_resqcapt19 said:


> But one hot day last summer, when they needed the power the most, there was less than 10% of that installed capacity available because there was very little wind.
> In the previous summer they almost collapsed the Texas grid because there was a very sudden and sustained drop in the wind.


 
Good point - Doesn't require much wind to spin those blades, however I believe it is up to the grid operator to ensure there is enough generation commited ( spinning reserve ) to protect the grid from the loss of a generator (or multiple in the case wind turbines) 

Isn't generators tripping off line without reserve capacity leading to a cascading failure one of the main reasons behind alot of the major blackouts we've seen in recent years across the country?


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## Legion (Oct 19, 2010)

ohmontherange said:


> Isn't generators tripping off line without reserve capacity leading to a cascading failure one of the main reasons behind alot of the major blackouts we've seen in recent years across the country?


There are relays in place to isolate such issues from cascading.


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## ohmontherange (May 7, 2008)

rlc3854 said:


> Took a little road trip from LA to CA and back on I-10. In the Hill country between San Antonio and Junction they are building a new HV distribution line. I could site the towers for over 100 miles. They are using three different types of towers and poles to support the lines. Is there anyone who knows if this project is private or public? Does anyone know where the power generation for this area is? I also saw lines being built for the California solar farms in the Indio area, you could see some of the panels from the interstate.


Some of the new transmission structures going in north of I20. No insulators or conductors installed yet. I think they are installing OPGW for the static lines.


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## rlc3854 (Dec 30, 2007)

That is about how it looked on the I-10 when I was going to California. However 2 weeks later they were setting up pulls for the cable and a lot were already in place. I think they move pretty quick. Oh and one more thing it sure flat north of I-20 compared to I-10 hill country.


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## ohmontherange (May 7, 2008)

rlc3854 said:


> That is about how it looked on the I-10 when I was going to California. However 2 weeks later they were setting up pulls for the cable and a lot were already in place. I think they move pretty quick. Oh and one more thing it sure flat north of I-20 compared to I-10 hill country.


It is flat - note the pix, farmland and pumpjacks... At least someone is stimulating the economy...


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