MSE Power Inc.

The right connection┬áNew power sources and the need to renew the infrastructure add up to good prospects for MSE Power Systems, Ruari McCallion learns from CEO Mark Scher. When the countryÔÇÖs electrical transmission infrastructure was established, windmills were something Don Quixote tilted at. However, the new generation of wind turbines is making a contribution to local and regional power grids from California to Maine. All that power needs to be connected, and itÔÇÖs not simply a case of hooking up some lines and turning a switch.ÔÇ£There are definitely several challenges in wind power that are different from traditional power sources and much more demanding on power systems,ÔÇØ says Mark Scher, founder and CEO of MSE Power Systems, Inc., which is based in Albany, New York. ÔÇ£Primarily, thereÔÇÖs the reality that wind is an intermittent resource. A wind farm may be rated to 100 megawatts, but the output typically ranges from 28 to 50 percent or so. It means that you may see only 50 megawatts transmitted, but the lines have to be capable of handling 100 megawatts. Second, because of the variable speed factor, most turbines arenÔÇÖt synchronous generators. ThereÔÇÖs no capacity to provide reactive power generation, which helps to support the voltage on the grid. Induction generators connected to the grid can actually draw reactive power off and cause a voltage collapse, which is something that has to be taken into account in the design of the transmission infrastructure and the wind generating facility.ÔÇØ That in itself creates an added factor for operators to take into account. ÔÇ£The responsibility of system operators is to understand the general resources available and what loads need to be met,ÔÇØ says Scher. ÔÇ£They need to understand what winds will be blowing. There are wind plants coming onstream now that have the capacity for meteorological data. There is some very sophisticated software being used in forecasting, but thereÔÇÖs a greater margin for error than in, for example, a gas-fired power station.ÔÇØMSE has been working in wind since the early 1990s and has successfully completed interconnection of more than 22 percent of all wind power installed in the US into the bulk transmission system. The company was founded in 1993, originally as a professional corporation to undertake engineering. It changed its status to a standard corporation in 1997, extending its business model to include design and build. It employs around 110 people directly, primarily engineers and project managers, offering customers and clients services ranging from engineering only through to full engineering, procurement and constructionÔÇöturnkey delivery. It has experience with projects across the world but is currently focused on the US market. ÔÇ£The US market is so busy that all our resources are allocated to the domestic arena,ÔÇØ says Scher. Recent projects include more than a dozen substation constructions, ranging from 345-kilovolt facilities in Palm Springs, California; Dayton, Washington; Floydada, Texas; and others, to 230-kV substations in Big Spring, Texas, among other locations. Larger wind projects include two farms in Texas, one of 300 MW, 345 kV on the Gulf side and a 200-MW, 138-kV project in the western part of the state; and six projects in the Northeast US, from 50 to 200 MW. Communities and businesses in New York state, Maine, Georgia and Southern California have reason to thank MSE for its efficient installation of hundreds of miles of transmission cables. Its specialist knowledge is becoming a prime asset for companies across the board in generation and distribution. It has a record of bringing benefits in terms of speed, efficiency and fault-free delivery; Haller Wind Consulting of St. Paul, Minnesota, found MSE was able to quote project times up to 50 percent shorter than competitors. Infrastructure costs money, and investors want it to begin earning its keep as soon as possible. And thereÔÇÖs an issue with transmission capacity across the gridsÔÇöitÔÇÖs precious and scarce. ÔÇ£The projects weÔÇÖre involved in cover both extension and renewal, but they donÔÇÖt really represent coordinated plans; theyÔÇÖre a series of individual initiatives,ÔÇØ he says. ÔÇ£The utility companies do what they can to keep the systems operational, but the way the market is set up hinders what can be done.ÔÇØ ThereÔÇÖs also a question of who pays for it; utilities have to demonstrate that improvements will benefit customers before theyÔÇÖre allowed to charge customers for their capital investment. But a system that can see the East Coast go dark because of an outage somewhere in the Midwest clearly needs close examination. Scher believes that the way to achieve the best balance between cost and benefit is to take an overall view.ÔÇ£The key to successfully integrating a power generation facility or large power consumer to the bulk power system is a multifaceted approach to the engineering design of the entire system,ÔÇØ he says. ÔÇ£This approach must be based on the lowest cost of ownership over the desired life of the system. The most common cause of failure is a narrow focus on first cost.ÔÇØ The discussion is beginning to take place, but it may require a re-examination of the way the market was deregulated. However, MSE is not totally dependent on a renewal of the grid.ÔÇ£The majority of our work in 2008 has been related to wind, but we also undertake a lot of non-utility work,ÔÇØ says Scher. It has completed projects for industrial, commercial and other customers involving medium- and high-voltage substations of 2.4 kV and above; switchgear systems; transformers; drives and motors; generating systems; automation and control; power factor correction; harmonic filtering; rectification and inversion; and frequency conversion. ÔÇ£Our scope ranges from working with developers, planning interconnection and help with studies to detailed design and construction of generating stations and substations and electrical infrastructure. WeÔÇÖll also help set clients up with maintenance programs, which will normally be based on local support. Effective maintenance is vital to get the best out of power systems.ÔÇØ MSE Power was recently acquired by Crompton Greaves, a large Indian equipment manufacturing group that is seeking to strengthen its services business in North America. With such substantial backing, it is set on a secure path that will see it growing in its services and support to the blooming wind and renewables sector across the country.┬á