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Western US grid could support 35% renewable energy, says NREL

NREL's research suggests solar plants like this one at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada could provide more electricity in the western US without major transmission upgrades if operating procedures were improved

The electricity grid in the western United States could support up to 35% of wind and solar power by 2017, without extensive additional infrastructure, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

The US Department of Energy’s research agency issued a study that said the target was “technically feasible” – but would require key changes in how the electricity network is operated in the mountain and southwest states.

Up to 30% wind energy and 5% solar energy penetration could be achieved on the grid with a better coordination of utilities’ distribution activities across a much wider geographic area, the research suggested.

It also recommends operating a schedule of generation or sales more frequent that the current hourly system.

This would allow the system to react to the changes in transmission level from wind or solar projects.

Dr. Debra Lew, NREL project manager for the study, explained: “If key changes can be made to standard operating procedures, our research shows that large amounts of wind and solar can be incorporated onto the grid without a lot of backup 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,” added Dr Lew.

Western US

The Western Wind and Solar Integration Study offered a first look at how a significant amount of renewable energy could be integrated into the grid in the western US.

It followed a study published in January on the impact of wind farms on the grid east of the Rockies (see this BrighterEnergy.org story).

The Western study looks at the power system operated by the WestConnect group of utilities in the mountain and southwest states.

This group includes Arizona Public Service, El Paso Electric Co., NV Energy, Public Service of New Mexico, Salt River Project, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Cooperative, Tucson Electric Power, Western Area Power Administration, and Xcel Energy.

The research stated that were these utilities to generate 27% of their electricity from wind and solar sources across the Western Interconnection grid, it would cut carbon emissions by 25% to 45%.

It could also decrease fuel and emissions costs by 40%, depending on the future prices of natural gas, the study claimed.

The study called for better use of wind and solar forecasts by utilities, and pointed out that more efficient use of the current grid infrastructure would mean less new transmission systems need to be built.