WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2016 - Using high-performance
computing capabilities, the Energy Department’s National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) produced a study that shows how the power
grid of the Eastern U.S. could accommodate higher levels of wind and solar
photovoltaic generation, with much less reliance on energy generated from coal.
However, the researchers say whether this reality is technically
feasible depends on other transmission and generation operators providing the
necessary ramping, energy and capacity services, wholesale market design
changes, and various capital expenditures – all of which, the researchers say, will
have financial and other implications that were outside of the study.
The study noted that “flows of power across the Eastern Interconnection
change more rapidly and more frequently, so meeting 30 percent
targets under the study assumptions sometimes requires coordinating operations
from Montreal to Miami and as far west as New Mexico.”
The researchers also noted that regulatory changes, market
design innovation and flexible operating procedures are important to achieving
higher levels of wind and solar.
“By modeling the power system in depth and detail, NREL has
helped reset the conversation about how far we can go operationally with wind
and solar in one of the largest power systems in the world,” says Charlton
Clark, program manager for the study.
NREL produced a high-resolution model of the entire Eastern
Interconnection, and modeled more than 5,600 electricity generators and more
than 60,000 transmission lines in a power system that spans from Florida to
Maine, including parts of Canada, and goes as far west as New Mexico.
To analyze how the Eastern Interconnection might function in 2026, when the power system could have significantly less power generation from fossil fuels, NREL’s Eastern Renewable Generation Integration Study (ERGIS) considered four hypothetical scenarios. The scenarios vary according to the amount of new transmission lines and how wind, solar and natural gas are used to replace the fossil fuel generators.
NREL released the production cost model, underlying data and
visualization tools alongside the final report to give power system planners,
operators, regulators and other stakeholders the tools to anticipate and plan
for operational and other important changes that may be needed in “cleaner
energy futures.”
“Our work provides power system operators and regulators
insights into how the Eastern Interconnection might operate in future scenarios
with more wind and solar energy,” says Aaron Bloom, NREL project leader for the
ERGIS study. “More importantly, we are sharing our data and tools so that
others can conduct their own analysis.”
To view the full ERGIS report and accompanying tools, click here.
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