Wind & Hydropower Integration: Concepts, Considerations & Case Studies

World-wide, hydropower facilities possess a significant amount of installed electric generating capacity. IEA statistics indicate that at the end of 2001 there was in excess of 450,000 MW of installed capacity within IEA member countries, with about half in Europe and half in North America. In addition to conventional hydropower, there is more than 80,000 MW of installed pumped-hydro capacity in IEA countries. In contrast, utility-scale wind power is relatively new in the electric market, but increasing rapidly. This book describes the background, concepts, issues and conclusions related to the feasibility of integrating wind and hydropower. It also describes in detail the study methodologies and participant case studies.