Staff Report to the Secretary on Electricity Markets and Reliability

On April 14, 2017, Energy Secretary Rick Perry issued a memorandum requesting a study to examine electricity markets and reliability. With this document, Department of Energy (DOE) staff are delivering a study that seeks not only to evaluate the present status of the electricity system, but more importantly to exercise foresight to help ensure a system that is reliable, resilient, and affordable long into the future. Therefore, while carefully acknowledging history, this study focuses on the present trajectory of trends that are of particular concern in meeting those long-term goals.…

DOE study: Markets and infrastructure key to electric reliability and resilience

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) new report on the U.S. electric grid makes valuable recommendations for expanding access to reliable, low-cost electricity by streamlining approval of electric transmission infrastructure and using markets to procure essential reliability services. As a low-cost source of energy that can provide reliability services as well as or better than conventional power plants, wind energy will flourish with the expansion of markets and infrastructure…

Reliability Assessment: A Wide-Area Perspective on the August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse

NASA has predicted that the path of a total solar eclipse will directly affect North American bulk power system (BPS) operations on August 21, 2017. 1, 2 The United States power generation resource mix has become more diverse. The diversity in generation is driven in part by national and state renewable portfolio standards as well as increased environmental regulations. Total solar capacity (distribution and transmission connected) in the United States has increased from 5 MW in 2000 to 42,619 MW in 2016. A total solar eclipse occurred across Continental Europe, Nordic Countries, and Great Britain in 2015. This solar eclipse …

Advancing Past “Baseload” to a Flexible Grid: How Grid Planners and Power Markets Are Better Defining System Needs to Achieve a Cost-Effective and Reliable Supply Mix

In today’s electricity system with low natural gas prices, negligible demand growth, and the proliferation of efficient natural gas-fired generation and renewable generation, “baseload” power plants like coal and nuclear are earning less market revenue than before. This report sheds light on why coal and nuclear plants have become less economical, why their ability to produce power continuously throughout most of the year is less essential in today’s supply mix, and why operational flexibility is an increasingly important ingredient for a cost-effective supply of electricity. Overall, this report explains that the use of the term “baseload” generation is no longer …

Evaluation of a proposal for reliable low-cost grid power with 100% wind, water, and solar

A number of analyses, meta-analyses, and assessments, including those performed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the International Energy Agency, have concluded that deployment of a diverse portfolio of clean energy technologies makes a transition to a low-carbon-emission energy system both more feasible and less costly than other pathways. In contrast, Jacobson et al. [Jacobson MZ, Delucchi MA, Cameron MA, Frew BA (2015) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 112(49):15060–15065] argue that it is feasible to provide “low-cost solutions to the grid reliability problem with 100% penetration of …

Microgrid Momentum: Building Efficient, Resilient Power

When Hurricane Sandy cut off power to millions of homes and businesses in the Northeast, a few areas, mostly parts of universities, kept the lights on using their own power generation systems. This ability to sustain electricity service during widespread natural disasters is one reason for the growing interest in microgrids. But they offer other important benefits as well. By increasing efficiency, integrating renewables, and helping manage energy supply and demand, microgrids can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save energy. For utilities, microgrids can ensure power reliability in remote areas. Microgrids also appeal to those who want to disconnect from …

Accelerating Off-grid Renewable Energy: Key Findings and Recommendations from IOREC 2016

The business case for off-grid renewables as a means to expand rural electricity access keeps growing stronger, thanks to steady cost reductions and technological innovation. Yet further accelerating the growth of either mini-grid or stand-alone solutions will depend also on stable policies and regulations, along with dedicated funds and de-risking instruments for renewables.

Technology and business innovation could cut the costs of renewable power generation for mini-grids by 60% in 20 years, according to this conference report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Yet around 600 million people are still expected to lack electricity access in 2040, despite international …

Minnesota Public Utilities Commission Minnesota Staff Report on Grid Modernization

In May 2015, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (Commission) initiated a proceeding to consider development of policies related to grid modernization with a focus on distribution system planning. The Commission held three workshops to gather information on distribution system planning and grid modernization, and to identify specific actions, technologies, and policies that could support and enable grid modernization. The Commission also sought two rounds of comments to support this effort. This report summarizes the actions in the proceeding to date, identifies aspects of the stakeholder comments identified as important for discussion of grid modernization, and proposes a process for continuing …

Integrating small solar farms to the grid: a ‘smart’ guide

The construction of small solar farms is running ahead of grid integration rules in many areas, and that can be a problem for utilities. In states where there is nothing like California’s trendsetting Rule 21 in place to oversee the process – and FERC rules do not apply – utilities are finding the best way to manage this solar flood is to “smarten” their transmission and distribution grids. [1] By embracing the smart grid, utilities are not only mitigating the technical difficulties associated with integrating solar farms, they are also putting themselves in a position to benefit from the enhanced …

Mathematical Sciences Research Challenges for the Next-Generation Electric Grid

If the United States is to sustain its economic prosperity, quality of life, and global competitiveness, it must continue to have an abundance of secure, reliable, and affordable energy resources. There have been many improvements in the technology and capability of the electric grid over the past several decades. Many of these advances to the grid depend on complex mathematical algorithms and techniques, and as the complexity of the grid has increased, the analytical demands have also increased.

The workshop summarized in this report was developed as part of an ongoing study of the Committee on Analytical Research Foundations for …