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<br />Table 1. Assumptions for Generation of Power in year 2030, in G:igawatts <br /> <br /> Average Power Power J~vailable to <br />Source Peak Capacity Generation Meet PI~ak Demands <br />Wind Farms 400 150 60 <br />Conventional 120 20 100 <br />Projected <br />Pumped Hydro 100 -20 --2Q <br /> -- <br />Total 600 150 250 <br /> <br />Under these assumptions, power generated at the windfarms during <br />especially windy periods would substantially exceed the average load plus the <br />maximum power uptake by the pumped-hydro complex. It is assumed that part of <br />this excess would be consumed within the primary service area by potential <br />users of dump power and that the rest would be delivered to more distant <br />markets where it would displace higher-cost conventional sources.. <br /> <br />The isthmus between the two lakes contains an escarpment capped <br />by the Niagara limestone formation. Southwest of the escarpment lies nearly <br />level farming country now crossed by numerous electric transmission lines <br />and by the WeIland Ship Canal. A narrower strip at a lower level lies <br />between the escarpment and the shore of Lake Ontario. For a geological <br />diagram of the site, see Atwood 11-. ..~. It is assumed that the plant itself <br />would be built underground beneath 'the Niagara cap rock and that there '~ou1d be <br />associated with it a large canal from Lake Erie leading to a forebay above the <br />plant, and a similar canal and forebay connecting the plant with Lake Ontario. <br />Because of the large volume of water that would be moved, the cana1-and-forebay <br />system would present novel engineering problems. For example, limiting the <br />current speed to 5 m/s during operation at maximum capacity would require <br />canals a kilometer wide and 20 m deep. <br /> <br />3. Characteristics of Power Transmi8sion in the Projected Complex <br /> <br />In projecting the nature of power transmission for the windpower' <br />complex, two technologies have been cons:i.dered: high-voltage direct..current <br />transmiss.ion, and sup~r7onducting cables. <br /> <br />In high-voltage direct-current transmission, the present state of <br />the art is represented by the Pacific Northwest-Southwest Intertie, 'energized <br />in 1970, which operates at.+400 kV and is rated at 1.44 GW over a distance of <br />1,350 kID. Present research objectives of the Department of Energy include' <br />initiating final design and demonstration of the principal compoI~nts of a <br />+600 kV system before 1984. Capacity limits of the order of 7 Gll per circuit <br />are projected. This technology involves the use of conventional overhead <br />lines. <br /> <br />Superconducting transmission lines ar,e in an earlier stage of <br />development. Present research objectives of the Department of Ellergy12 <br />include research and development of advanced techniques for underground <br />