The OurEnergyLibrary aggregates and indexes publicly available fact sheets, journal articles, reports, studies, and other publications on U.S. energy topics. It is updated every week to include the most recent energy resources from academia, government, industry, non-profits, think tanks, and trade associations. Suggest a resource by emailing us at info@ourenergypolicy.org.
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Electric vehicles (EVs) that charge where and when electricity is cheaper on the bulk power system can help lower system costs, improve the grid’s ability to incorporate affordable renewable generation, and help to meet grid reliability needs. To enable and encourage EVs to provide these benefits, charging station siting and rates could factor in locational and temporal values of electricity. In organized wholesale electricity markets, locational marginal prices provide some of this information. Charging station rates could track locational marginal prices and include a price on greenhouse gas emissions. This would allow drivers to react to EV charging prices similarly …
View Full ResourceIf current projections hold, Boston Consulting Group estimates that electric vehicles could create between $3 and $10 billion in new value between now and 2030 for an average energy business with 2 to 3 million customers. This colossal increase represents the most significant opportunity in a generation to increase base demand and margins while simultaneously introducing new utility services like home and public charging infrastructure and bolstering grid reliability and resiliency.
The potential is massive, and at the same time the business transformation required to achieve it is equally large. In less than 10 years, analysts predict 200 million chargers …
View Full ResourceFor the sake of our communities and planet, we must do everything in our power to create a clean, renewable electric grid by 2030. Utilities must lead this transition, but our research shows they are wholly unprepared to do their part. Clean energy is reliable and affordable; electric utilities have no excuse to delay and no time left to waste.
We evaluated integrated resource plans (IRPs) and major announcements from the 50 dirtiest parent companies and 77 operating companies included in our original study (see appendices for details). These include investor-owned utilities, public utilities (such as the Tennessee Valley Authority), …
View Full ResourceCost-efficient electric transmission planning, development and operations are vital for grid reliability and economic development. Investor-owned utilities (IOUs) have access to ample capital and spend about $20-25 billion per year on transmission in the United States. However, billions of dollars are misallocated annually, which erodes net benefits to consumers and suppresses the development of cleaner and lower-cost energy generation. The problem rests squarely on a regulatory system that is outdated and structurally flawed.
Nevertheless, a rare opportunity to remedy regulatory flaws has emerged. After years of experience and building records on the shortcomings of its transmission policies, FERC recently opened …
View Full ResourceConducted by the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and supported by the California Energy Commission, this study evaluated the effectiveness of demand response program designs. The results of this study can be used to design more effective programs that result in greater environmental and economic benefits for Californians. To date, empirical studies that evaluate the effectiveness of residential demand response program designs have been limited.
This study assessed energy savings that resulted in over $1 million in rewards for over 20,000 study participants. The resulting research can inform decision-makers about the role of demand response programs in supporting grid reliability …
View Full ResourceThe new white paper, Enacting a Federal High-Penetration Renewable Energy Standard: Building on Proposals to Date and Addressing Important Additional Considerations makes the case for a federal high-penetration RES that embraces the following key features:
Qualifying technologies should, at a minimum, include wind, solar, hydropower, ocean, tidal, hydrokinetic, and geothermal energy.
The required percentage of compliant electricity should be at least 50%, on a timeline consistent with climate commitments, recommendations from scientific experts, and other policy goals.
Alternative Compliance Payments (ACPs) and penalties should be sufficient to achieve RES objectives.
A federal high-penetration RES should build upon, and not preempt, …
The National Hydropower Association (NHA) strongly believes that expanding deployment of energy storage resources like PSH, particularly in regions with aggressive deployment of variable renewable resources, will support improved grid reliability and facilitate development of additional clean energy technologies. While benefits of expanding pumped storage and similar technologies are clearly apparent in regions that do not have adequate storage capacity, current market structures and regulatory frameworks in many regions do not present an effective means of achieving this goal.…
View Full ResourceTechnology advances have enabled wind and solar energy to be reliably integrated into the power system, providing grid reliability services as well as or better than conventional power plants. This report answers the most frequently asked questions about how grid operators are able to reliably integrate large amounts of renewable energy. Concise answers are provided in the executive summary, with citations and supporting analysis included in the full report.…
View Full ResourceDemand response (DR) holds great promise to improve the competitiveness, reliability and environmental performance of the electricity system. DR refers to a system under which end-use customers earn compensation in exchange for an immediate reduction from their normal consumption patterns in the amount of electricity they use. Customers could reduce or shift their demand in response to an economic signal, such as a spike in wholesale prices, or an instruction from the grid operator, such as when grid reliability is threatened. DR comes in a variety of forms, including delaying the start of appliances or air conditioning, dimming lights or …
View Full ResourceInterconnection standards and procedures are designed to allow electric customers to safely connect distributed generation (DG) systems to the grid. Even as distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) systems become more common, the interconnection process can be lengthy and problematic for solar customers and installers, increasing overall system installation costs and delaying the benefits of PV generation. As DG penetration levels increase, utilities are more likely to deny DG system interconnection by raising safety and grid reliability concerns, further complicating and delaying the interconnection process. However, many utilities – even some with high levels of DG penetration – process and approve customer …
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