Project will improve integration of wind plants into the statewide power grid

Knoxville, Tenn., July 24, 2002 – Electrotek Concepts, part of the WPT family of companies, has been selected by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc, (ERCOT) to develop a series of wind turbine computer models. ERCOT and its member parties will use the models to perform studies and simulations of the bulk power network in Texas.

According to Ken Donohoo of ERCOT, these computer models are essential to seamless integration of wind power into the Texas grid: "These models address a variety of parameters, including electrical and mechanical performance, and cover a range of turbine manufacturers. They will help us in addressing interconnection requests and determining the impact that wind generation will have on operation of the ERCOT grid."

Power Technologies, Inc. and Vestas-American Wind Technologies will assist Electrotek on the project. The models will be compatible with Power Technologies' PSS/E power system simulation software. Vestas-American Wind will provide technical assistance relating to their wind turbines. According to Electrotek's Bob Zavadil, it is anticipated that other turbine manufacturers will cooperate on the project: "We will also be putting together a GE Wind Energy Systems model, and ERCOT has requested us to look at other turbine manufacturers with equipment connected to their grid. The goal is to provide ERCOT with a library of models that they can access and modify to meet the full range of study needs."

ERCOT's Donohoo says the development of the models will represent a great leap forward for the wind industry: "This project not only will help us in bringing wind into our generation mix, but will develop and demonstrate a practical approach to coordinating wind interconnection that can be used by other system operators, transmission owners, and reliability councils. The actual use of the models should yield some valuable lessons in simulating and analyzing how wind power can function in an evolving electric grid."

In addition to developing the models, the Electrotek team will validate their performance against field measurements of wind plants. The Dranetz-BMI Signature SystemTM, a web-based power monitoring platform, will be deployed at four wind generation sites on the ERCOT grid. The equipment will measure power output for the wind plants. Electrotek has been conducting a similar monitoring effort for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory at wind plants in Iowa and Minnesota.

It is anticipated that the entire project, including model development and testing, as well as field monitoring, will take a year to complete.

Electrotek Concepts is recognized as one of the world’s premier electric power consulting firms. Specializing in utility and industrial power systems engineering, power quality management, renewable energy, and distributed generation, Electrotek is a division of WPT Inc. WPT, headquartered in Edison. N.J., is comprised of Electrotek Concepts, Dranetz-BMI and Daytronic Corporation, three leading companies in the field of power quality and data acquisition instrumentation and management.

Power Technologies, Inc. is a consulting engineering company and a leader in the analysis of electrical power systems for generation, transmission, distribution and industrial plants. Headquartered in Schenectady, N.Y, Power Technologies is a division of the Shaw Group, Inc.

Vestas - American Wind Technology, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vestas Wind Systems A/S of Denmark. With more than 11,000 wind turbines installed world wide, Vestas is the world's leading manufacturer of wind turbines and related equipment. Vestas - American is responsible for turnkey installations, equipment orders, and service in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

ERCOT is the corporation that manages the state's power grid and is home to the largest control area in the United States. It is one of ten regional reliability councils in North America. The organization oversees the operation of 75,000 megawatts of generation and 37,000 miles of transmission lines in the State of Texas. The primary regulatory authority for ERCOT is the PUCT. ERCOT's members include retail consumers, investor and municipally owned electric utilities, rural electric co-ops, river authorities, independent generators, power marketers, and retail electric providers.