Hendricks Power Cooperative Members,
Many of you are aware of the Walnut Hills development driven by the Canadian based company Cordelio Power. As your local electric cooperative, and a trusted resource, Hendricks Power wants to ensure you have accurate information about the project.
Cordelio Power develops and operates renewable power facilities across North America. Walnut Hills is a proposed wind farm spanning 8,000 acres in Hendricks County's Eel River Township, with a projected output of up to 200 megawatts (MW) of power. While this location is within Hendricks Power's service territory, the co-op is not involved with this project and our distribution system will not be interconnected to the project. Any power potentially produced from this wind farm would not provide a direct benefit to Hendricks Power, our members, or rate payers in Hendricks County. If it eventually advances, the power produced would be contracted and sold to other power providers or sold daily at market price on the transmission grid.
You may not realize it, but Hendricks Power does not generate electricity. The co-op purchases power from a generation and transmission cooperative, Wabash Valley Power, and from there, we distribute it to homes and businesses throughout our community. Through Wabash Valley Power we are increasingly using more electricity generated from renewable energy sources, but still depend on a diverse energy mix to ensure reliable power that is available to our members whenever they need it, at an affordable price.
A key challenge facing wind and solar energy is variability. The output of solar and wind, for example, can vary significantly over different seasons and times in a day, like when the wind stops blowing or the sun goes behind a cloud. One way to deal with that issue is energy storage, an advancing battery storage technology that will equip electric co-ops to beat peak energy prices and save members money.
This battery storage technology is promising and will one day be a great complement to renewable generation but is still expensive and needs technological advancement to become an everyday component that we can comfortably depend on. For now, wind and solar are best deployed as components of a diverse energy portfolio that also includes traditional generating resources.
Winter Storm Elliott and Winter Storm Uri are good examples of why we cannot be dependent on renewable energy just yet. The unexpected winter blasts caused a huge demand for electricity and went beyond energy forecasts for those periods. All available generator and demand response programs were initiated. In one instance (Uri) the wind provided minimal aid, and in the other instance (Elliott) the wind production was significantly higher. As renewable generation replaces traditional generation, these risks could become more frequent and add to the potential for generation brownouts or blackouts.
Hendricks Power believes that a mix of energy sources acts as a safeguard, ensuring that the grid remains operational even in the face of unexpected challenges. We work to keep our employees educated and exposed to emerging technologies, including wind and solar power, battery storage, energy efficiency and programs to help manage electricity demand. We recently developed a 7 MW solar array south of Pittsboro. This installation features nearly 20,000 solar photovoltaic panels and can generate enough energy to power 300 homes. We are also studying battery technology and considering installing a system at one of our substations within the next year or so.
Hendricks Power strongly supports an all-of-the-above energy strategy that ensures an affordable, reliable, and safe supply of electricity.
Cooperatively yours,
Greg Ternet, CEO
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