GLOBE-Net, July 2, 2012 - A recent report
published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL),
the Renewable Electricity Futures Study (RE Futures),
is an initial investigation of the extent to which renewable energy
supply can meet the electricity demands of the continental United
States over the next several decades.
The study explores the implications and challenges of very high
renewable electricity generation levels-from 30% up to 90%,
focusing on 80%, of all U.S. electricity generation from renewable
technologies-in 2050.
At such high levels of renewable electricity generation, the
unique characteristics of some renewable resources, specifically
geographical distribution and variability and uncertainty in
output, pose challenges to the operability of the nation's electric
system.
Key Findings
- Renewable electricity generation from technologies that are
commercially available today, in combination with a more flexible
electric system, is more than adequate to supply 80% of total U.S.
electricity generation in 2050 while meeting electricity demand on
an hourly basis in every region of the country.
- Increased electric system flexibility, needed to enable
electricity supply-demand balance with high levels of renewable
generation, can come from a portfolio of supply- and demand-side
options, including flexible conventional generation, grid storage,
new transmission, more responsive loads, and changes in power
system operations.
- The abundance and diversity of U.S. renewable energy resources
can support multiple combinations of renewable technologies that
result in deep reductions in electric sector greenhouse gas
emissions and water use.
- The direct incremental cost associated with high renewable
generation is comparable to published cost estimates of other clean
energy scenarios. Improvement in the cost and performance of
renewable technologies is the most impactful lever for reducing
this incremental cost.
RE Futures provides initial answers to important
questions about the integration of high penetrations of renewable
electricity technologies from a national perspective, focusing on
key technical implications.
Multiple technology pathways exist to
achieve a high renewable electricity future. Assumed constraints
that limit power transmission infrastructure, grid flexibility, or
the use of particular types of resources can be compensated for
through the use of other resources, technologies, and
approaches.
The study explores electricity grid integration using models
with unprecedented geographic and time resolution for the
contiguous United States to assess whether the U.S. power system
can supply electricity to meet customer demand on an hourly basis
with high levels of renewable electricity, including variable wind
and solar generation.
RE Futures, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, is a
collaboration with more than 110 contributors from 35 organizations
including national laboratories, industry, universities, and
non-governmental organizations.
As the most comprehensive analysis of high-penetration renewable
electricity of the continental United States to date, the study can
inform broader discussion of the evolution of the electric system
and electricity markets towards clean systems.
RE Futures results indicate that renewable
generation could play a more significant role in the U.S.
electricity system than previously thought and that further work is
warranted to investigate this clean generation pathway.
Renewable Electricity Futures Report