Shifting Currents - RMI

This briefing by RMI describes the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) as an attractive market for corporate buyers of renewable energy due to its strong wind resources, market improvements, and a robust pipeline of planned wind capacity.

• The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) has implemented market improvements and expanded its footprint to include the Integrated System (IS) transmission system, resulting in $131 million in savings during the first year of operations and increased dispatch efficiency.
• The SPP region possesses some of the highest wind resource potential in the United States, with nine of the top 10 states for high-capacity-factor wind generation (defined as a capacity factor of 35 percent or greater) located within the SPP footprint.
• There is a significant pipeline of planned wind capacity in the SPP region, with wind generation making up 73 percent of the generation interconnection queue. Approximately 7 GW of wind generation were expected to be completed in 2017, and an estimated 19 GW of planned wind capacity additions are available.
• Compliance with the EPA's Clean Power Plan may further drive wind development in the region; SPP estimated in April 2015 that an additional 5.6 GW of wind capacity—a 42 percent increase over then-planned levels—would be required for compliance.
• Corporate buyers face risks including potential increases in curtailment if wind development outpaces transmission infrastructure, and policy shifts such as a potential elimination of wind generator tax credits in Oklahoma.

APA

RMI (2017). Shifting Currents - RMI. https://rmi.org/resources/shifting-currents/

Chicago

RMI. Shifting Currents - RMI. 2017. https://rmi.org/resources/shifting-currents/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Shifting Currents - RMI |date=29 March 2017 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/shifting-currents/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2017shifting, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Shifting Currents - RMI}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2017}, month = mar, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/shifting-currents/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }