Renewable energy technologies present distinct challenges for power system operations and planning, complicating assessments of grid-system value. Wind and solar, for example, are location-dependent, have variable output profiles, and have low marginal-costs—all of which influence grid operations, planning and wholesale market prices. The EMP Department:
- Works to increase understanding of strategies to reliably integrate renewable energy into the power system, while also advancing methods for grid-system valuation
- Evaluates the impact of renewable energy on transmission infrastructure needs and costs, as well as on the bulk power system more generally
- Assesses the need for and value of investing in sources of flexibility—including demand response, flexible conventional generation, and storage—as renewable energy increases
- Analyzes the variability and uncertainty of wind and solar generation and related impact on power system operations and resource valuation (Solar-to-Grid)
- Provides technical assistance on studies of grid operations and valuation with high levels of variable renewable energy
- Synthesizes foundational empirical data on trends in system impacts, reliability and market value of wind and solar
- Compiles and analyzes interconnection queue and interconnection cost data from transmission system operators across the U.S.
- Tracks the status of installed and proposed hybrid power plants with an annually-updated briefing report
