Change to current operating practices would allow the US power grid to integrate significant amounts of wind and solar power without extensive additional infrastructure, according to a new report by DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
The Western Wind and Solar Integration Study examines the benefits and challenges of integrating enough wind and solar energy capacity into the grid to produce 35% of its electricity by 2017. The study finds that this target is technically feasible and does not necessitate extensive additional infrastructure, but does require key changes to current operational practice.
The results offer a first look at the issue of adding significant amount of variable renewable energy in the West and will help utilities across the region plan how to ramp up their production of renewable energy as they incorporate more wind and solar energy plants into the power grid.
The study focuses on the operational impacts of wind, photovoltaics, and concentrating solar power on the power system operated by the WestConnect group of utilities in the mountain and southwest states.
Though wind and solar output vary over time, the technical analysis performed in this study shows that it is operationally possible to accommodate 30% wind and 5% solar energy penetration. To accomplish such an increase, utilities will have to substantially increase their coordination of operations over wider geographic areas and schedule their generation deliveries, or sales, on a more frequent basis. Currently generators provide a schedule for a specific amount of power they will provide in the next hour. More frequent scheduling would allow generators to adjust that amount of power based on changes in system conditions such as increases or decreases in wind or solar generation.
“When you
coordinate the operations between utilities across a large geographic
area, you decrease the effect of the variability of wind and solar
energy sources, mitigating the unpredictability of Mother Nature,” Dr. Debra Lew, NREL project manager for the study, said.
The study also finds that if utilities generate 27% of their electricity from wind and solar energy across the Western Interconnection grid, it would lower carbon emissions by 25% to 45%. It would also decrease fuel and emissions costs by 40%, depending on the future price of natural gas.
Other key findings from the study include:
- Existing transmission capacity can be more fully utilized to reduce the amount of new transmission that needs to be built.
- To facilitate the integration of wind and solar energy, coordinating the operations of utilities can provide substantial savings by reducing the need for additional back-up generation, such as natural gas-burning plants.
- Use of wind and solar forecasts in utility operations to predict when and where it will be windy and sunny is essential for cost-effectively integrating these renewable energy sources.
The study was undertaken by a team of wind, solar and power systems experts across both the private and public sectors. The study complements the recently released Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study, which examines the feasibility of integrating up to 30% wind in the eastern states.
The study can be downloaded at the link below.
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