New FEC Manager Weighs in on Wind Power and Battery Storage
The Record interviewed Fayette Electric Cooperative General Manager Doug Lambert last week about the wind farm that Apex Clean Energy wants to build in Fayette County
Lambert said Fayette Electric Cooperative (FEC) has no involvement with the project
“It won’t benefit us or our members in any way, whether it’s here or not, because we buy our power on the deregulated market off the grid,” Lambert said. “We have it locked in with suppliers through 2030.”
Lambert said a portion of the power FEC purchases comes from renewable sources like wind and solar
Lambert said he’s aware of the local opposition to the proposed wind turbine development
“Folks don’t want to see that on the landscape,” he said. “I certainly understand that. We don’t really have a dog in the hunt, so to speak, in any direction. If they wanted a distribution meter there, we would certainly set one to provide distribution power to them. But beyond that, there is really no benefit to us.”
“We’re not advocates, and we’re not opposed to it,” Lambert added.
Lambert said the wind farm will not affect FEC’s financial position “in any way.”
The Record also asked Lambert about the proposed Staccato battery storage facility in the Warda area. The facility would store excess power on the grid during times of low demand and release the energy back onto the grid during times of high demand.
FEC is not connected to the Staccato project, either.
Lambert, who took over as FEC manager a month ago, said he’s familiar with battery storage facilities
“I came from North Carolina, and the statewide organization there did take advantage of some demand response opportunities using some battery storage,” he said. “It’s all in how the program is implemented. I’d have to better understand how it’s being implemented and how its leveraged.”
Lambert said battery storage facilities especially help the reliability of reliability of solar power
“Solar alone is less reliable,” he said. “Adding batteries to the mix certainly does increase the availability and reliability of the solar for being leveraged into the grid. But there are a lot of complexities around the market. Can it be leveraged into the grid? How is it purchased? What are the interconnect agreements for that to happen? I don’t have any awareness of that particular one to speak to it.”
According to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), nearly 28 percent of electricity on the Texas electric grid so far in 2024 came from wind power. Solar power amounted to 9.5 percent of electric generation this year. Electricity generated from natural gas made up the bulk of the state’s power needs – 42 percent. Coal power amounted to 11.3 percent. Nuclear and others made up just under 10 percent.