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AWEA welcomes Western wind integration study

Monday, 24 May 2010 15:45

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The study, called the Western Wind and Solar Integration Study (WWSIS), examined several scenarios in which wind energy would provide up to 30% of the electricity for a large region of the Western U.S.

Among the key findings of the study:

* Obtaining 35% of the Western region's electricity from renewable energy is technically achievable, with 30% provided by wind and 5% by solar energy;
* Achieving 30% wind could reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by up to 45%, nitrogen oxides by up to 50%, and sulfur dioxide by 30%;
* Adding 30% wind reduces overall power system operating costs by 40%, saving consumers money and protecting them from fuel price volatility;
* The scenario is feasible, cost effective, and reliable even without storage; and
* Transmission is critical for achieving higher wind penetrations, and the cost of this transmission is very small compared to the benefits of the wind energy that would be brought online.

The study also highlighted a number of grid operating reforms that will help facilitate the integration of wind energy. These cost-effective reforms will benefit consumers by making the power system more efficient and reliable, and these benefits are realized even on power systems without wind energy:

1. Substantially increase Balancing Area cooperation or consolidation, real or virtual (the West region can save $2 billion on spinning reserve costs alone by operating as 5 consolidated regions instead of many smaller regions);
2. Increase the use of sub-hourly scheduling for generation and interchanges (this one step alone cuts regulation reserve needs nearly in half);
3. Increase utilization of transmission;
4. Enable coordinated commitment and economic dispatch of generation over wider regions;
5. Use state of the art wind/solar forecasts in unit commitment/operations (in the 30% wind case, state-of-the-art forecasting saves $5 billion relative to not using a forecast);
6. Increase the flexibility of dispatchable generation where appropriate;
7. Commit additional operating reserves as appropriate;
8. Target new or existing demand response programs to accommodate increased variability and uncertainty;
9. Allow wind plants to provide down regulating reserves.

A copy of the study and its executive summary will be available at http://www.nrel.gov/wind/systemsintegration/wwsis.html

Source: AWEA