The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy, the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Tribal Energy Program, and the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) will present the next Tribal Renewable Energy Series webinar, "Conducting Transmission Feasibility and System Impact Studies," on Wednesday, July 31, 2013, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

The development of more renewable energy resources raises challenges and opportunities for the electric grid relating to upgrades and potential new construction. Likewise, commercial-scale renewable energy development creates opportunities and challenges for Tribes. Whether Tribes are looking to bring tribal energy to market or interconnect to a power distribution system, a variety of complex grid standards, processes, and regulatory requirements come into play. Among these are the transmission feasibility and system impact studies that Tribes must complete as a preliminary step when embarking on any commercial-scale project.

This webinar will provide guidance on analyzing and assessing the impacts, costs, and benefits of transmission line upgrades and additions and outline the data that must be incorporated into these studies in order to meet federal regulatory requirements. Gayle Nansel, Transmission System Planning Manager for  WAPA’s Upper Great Plains Region, will highlight WAPA’s internal process for conducting feasibility and system impact studies, and Ed Weber, Senior Technical Advisor from HDR Engineering, will provide an overview of the interconnection process in the Western United States. There is no charge to attend the webinar, but registration is required.

Register for the webinar.