Energy Systems Integration Newsletter: June 2021
In this edition, NREL research looks at the possibility of a coordinated, low-carbon North American grid, a new NREL report examines the costs and emissions benefits of a 100% renewable U.S. electricity system, a Q&A with NREL energy analyst Kate Anderson, and more.
North American Renewable Integration Study Highlights Opportunities for a Coordinated, Continental Low-Carbon Grid
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Energy, and Natural Resources Canada have released the results of a multiyear North American Renewable Integration Study. This study provides insight to grid planners, utilities, industry, policymakers, and other stakeholders about challenges and opportunities for continental system integration to support a low-carbon future electric grid.
Results show that a future low-carbon North American grid can be achieved through multiple pathways that can balance supply and demand using a variety of flexible resources. The study also shows that increasing electricity trade and expanding transmission between countries could have significant system benefits.
Quantifying the Costs and Emissions Benefits of a 100% Renewable U.S. Electricity System
According to new research published in Joule, the United States could go a long way toward achieving a fully renewable national power system cost effectively; it is only the final few percentages of renewable generation that cause a nonlinear spike in costs to build and operate the power system.
See how the research evaluates possible pathways by quantifying the system costs of transitioning to a 100% renewable power grid for the contiguous United States.
From Satellite Launches to Expert Energy Analysis: Q&A With Kate Anderson
NREL's Modeling and Analysis Group is an interdisciplinary team of technical experts who support government and private entities with techno-economic modeling and analysis of energy efficiency, renewable energy, storage, and microgrids.
The group is led by Kate Anderson, who also heads the development of NREL's popular REopt™ (Renewable Energy Integration and Optimization) tool. Researchers use REopt to identify the optimal system size and energy mix for buildings, campuses, communities, microgrids, and more.
Read our Q&A with Kate Anderson.
Are Hybrid Systems Truly the Future of the Grid?
Interest is increasing in hybrid renewable energy systems that combine multiple renewable energy and/or energy storage technologies into a single plant. Yet, even as these systems are increasingly lauded as a key to unlocking maximum efficiency and cost savings in future decarbonized electric grids, NREL analysis shows there are challenges in evaluating the benefits of hybrid systems.
Learn how NREL researchers are further exploring the benefit of hybrid energy systems.
Carbon-Neutral Future Unites NREL, Sempra Energy in Partnership
For a decade, NREL and Sempra Energy have enjoyed a very successful partnership. Together, NREL and Sempra have established the nation's first utility-owned community microgrid; created, validated, and integrated the nation's first carbon-free, power-to-gas pilot system; and dedicated the nation's first hydrogen-to-methane bioreactor. Now, the partnership is shifting the focus toward targeting global carbon neutrality.
Read more about the success of this partnership and its future efforts.
Open-Source Tool Defends Against Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities: See New Web Page and Video on Module-OT
Delivering electricity is an essential service, yet many power systems rely on unencrypted communication networks. The NREL-developed tool ModuleOT is designed to protect both legacy and new electric grid devices against common cyberattacks while requiring minimal changes to operational technology (OT). Field-tested and vendor agnostic, ModuleOT is a low-cost solution to the vulnerabilities that appear in communications between distributed energy resources and control centers across wide areas.
Watch the video and check out the new project page on Module-OT to see a breakdown of the tool's unique features and functionalities.
Study Kicks Off Multiyear Effort To Modernize U.S. Electricity Markets
To address challenges for future electricity markets, a major research collaboration has published its first study for a national project targeting grid modernization.
Organized as part of the Grid Modernization Initiative, the 3-year project intends to provide foundational technical assistance to the seven U.S. independent system operators and regional transmission organizations that regulate nearly 70% of electric power sales in the United States. The first task of the project and the subject of the preliminary report is to identify gaps and research priorities related to evolving competitive wholesale electricity markets.
Read more about how the collaboration is developing resources for national grid operators.
NREL Releases Request for Information on Research Opportunities for Advanced Distribution Management Systems
NREL is soliciting feedback from industry, utilities, grid operators, governments, and other grid stakeholders around applications for the U.S. Department of Energy advanced distribution management system (ADMS) test bed, a capability for validating advanced electric grid architectures, controls, and operations. The test bed can help guide investment decisions, identify costs and benefits of new grid technologies, and validate individual components or operational paradigms. By helping to scope ADMS research through this year's request for information, partners can decide the innovations that will directly affect their operations.
Learn more about the RFI and how to submit a response.
NREL Research Examines Relationship Between Increased Renewable Integration and Power System Cost, Carbon Emissions
With declining costs for renewable energy technologies, interest has turned to how that might translate into the total system costs of integrating more renewable energy into the U.S. electric grid. NREL researchers examined how changing the contribution of renewable energy from the optimal solution impacts the cost of building and operating the electricity system as well as trade-offs between emissions savings and system costs for higher and lower levels of renewable generation. The results, published in an Electricity Journal article, point to a nonlinear relationship between system costs and renewable energy contribution.
Learn more about the research and how increased renewables can reduce power system costs while reducing carbon emissions.
Publications Roundup
Quantifying the Solar Energy Resource for Puerto Rico
Following Hurricane Maria, multiple U.S. Department of Energy laboratories studied the state of the electric grid in Puerto Rico, analyzing grid resilience and grid integration of renewable energy. In this NREL technical report, researchers look at potential growth for renewables in Puerto Rico, specifically focusing on solar energy development. The report creates new solar resource data, conducts a technical potential and supply curve analysis, and looks at the variability of solar energy in Puerto Rico. The study also calculates the levelized cost of energy for several theoretical photovoltaic plant sites.
Enabling Interoperable Scada Communications for PV Inverters Through Embedded Controllers
As the number of photovoltaic inverters on the electric grid increases, it is crucial that these inverters can effectively communicate with devices above their hierarchy, including supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, distributed controllers, and data managers. This NREL technical report aims to develop a standard SCADA software code for inverters' embedded controllers that will enable interoperability with other components in the system.
This article from NREL researchers, published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, evaluates factors that might "mask" performance problems in photovoltaic systems. The paper explores several of these factors, including system configuration, instrumentation design, installation and maintenance, and contract clauses; and it identifies management and operational practices. With a better understanding of the nontransparency of these masking issues, stakeholders can better interpret performance data and improve system operation.
"Corporate Acceleration of the Renewable Energy Transition and Implications for Electric Grids"
Corporations are the fastest growing source of renewable energy demand. Corporate demand could account for more than 20% of all demand by 2030. More than 200 global corporations have committed to renewable energy targets that are more aggressive than national or local targets. In this paper, published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, researchers look at the potential impact of increased corporate procurement on grid operation and planning. The researchers explore several pathways to integrate corporate procurement into grid planning while maximizing the value of corporate renewable energy to future electric grids.
The Yucatan Peninsula Energy Assessment: Pathways for a Clean and Sustainable Power System
The Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico shows ample opportunities for the growth of a clean, sustainable power system. Considering this, the three states of the peninsula are developing coordinated energy plans and working together to transform their power sector by increasing the deployment of utility-scale and distributed renewable technologies, implementing energy-efficiency programs, and developing sustainable transportation solutions. In this NREL technical report, researchers look at the current state of the Yucatan power system and offer potential actions targeted at increasing renewable energy and energy-efficiency deployment in the region.
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