If you’re planning a commercial-scale wind farm, you will need to a way to deliver energy to wholesale or retail customers. Typically this requires transmission lines linking the output of your wind farm to the electric power transmission network, or energy “grid,” in your region. Commercial wind farms sited in remote locations can find it a challenge to secure transmission capacity and interconnectivity with the grid.
Alternatively, smaller wind farms can provide a dedicated source of electricity for a community or business. In these cases, the wind farm may not require a link to the regular electric grid. However, to sell excess power, you still need a way to deliver that power to the electric utility.
Check with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which works with wind developers to secure transmission capacity and interconnectivity. The Utility Wind Integration Group also provides resources for connecting a wind farm into the electric system.