Paul Denholm
Paul Denholm is a member of the Energy Forecasting and Modeling Group in the Strategic Energy Analysis Center.
Senior Analyst
On staff since October 2004
Phone number: (303) 384-7488
E-mail: paul.denholm@nrel.gov
Areas of expertise
- Modeling of electric power systems, including interaction of renewable and conventional energy technologies
- Environmental life-cycle analysis
- Analysis of energy storage systems utilized with conventional and renewable generation
Primary research interests
- Effects of large-scale renewable energy deployment in electric power systems
- Renewable energy enabling technologies including energy storage and long distance transmission
Education and background training
- B.S. in physics, 1993, James Madison University
- M.S. in instrumentation physics, 1995, University of Utah
- Ph.D. in land resources/energy analysis and policy, 2004, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Prior work experience
- Electrical engineer, Bardac Drives Corporation (1995-1999)
Selected publications
Denholm, P.; Hand, M. (2011). "Grid Flexibility and Storage Required to Achieve Very High Penetration of Variable Renewable Electricity." Energy Policy. Vol. 39(3), March 2011; pp. 1817-1830; NREL Report No. JA-6A20-49400. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2011.01.019
Denholm, P., E. Ela, B. Kirby, M. Milligan. (2010). "Role of Energy Storage with Renewable Electricity Generation." NREL Report No. TP-6A2-47187.
Denholm, P., M. Hand, M. Jackson, and S. Ong. (2009). "Land Use Requirements of Modern Wind Power Plants in the United States." NREL Report No. TP-6A2-45834.
Denholm, P., R. M. Margolis and J. Milford. (2009). "Quantifying Avoided Fuel Use and Emissions from Photovoltaic Generation in the Western United States." Environmental Science and Technology. 43, 226-232.
Denholm, P., and R. M. Margolis. (2008). "Land Use Requirements and the Per-Capita Solar Footprint for Photovoltaic Generation in the United States." Energy Policy. 36, 3531-3543.
Denholm, P., and R. M. Margolis. (2007). "Evaluating the Limits of Solar Photovoltaics (PV) in Electric Power Systems Utilizing Energy Storage and Other Enabling Technologies." Energy Policy. 35, 4424-4433.
Full list of Paul Denholm publications (NREL)








