CALIFORNIA AIMS FOR 33% NEW ENERGY

KEMA, California ISO Examine Renewables Integration, Energy Storage
23 June 2010 (KEMA via Renew Grid)

"KEMA and the California Independent System Operator (California ISO) recently completed a collaborative research project that modeled the effects that high levels of renewable generation would have on the grid and examined how grid-connected electricity storage could be used to accommodate renewables on the system.

"KEMA concludes that accommodating 33% renewable generation by 2020 (the state's renewable portfolio standard) will require major alterations to system operations…[and] notes that California may need between 3 GW and 5 GW or more of conventional (fossil-fuel-powered or hydroelectric) generation to meet load and planning reserve requirements."

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"Existing studies have generally concluded that the variability and high-ramping characteristics of renewable generation create operational issues for grid operators. [Research Evaluation of Wind Genration, Solar Generation and Storage Impact on the California Grid] quantifies these effects with a dynamic model that simulates system performance on a time scale of one second or less…"

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"The report analyzes the effect of increasing renewable energy generation on California's electricity system and assesses and quantifies the system's ability to keep generation and energy consumption in balance…

"The study also examines the relative benefit of deploying fast-response electricity storage versus utilizing conventional generation to regulate and balance load requirements…[It] concludes that a 30 MW to 50 MW storage device is as effective as a 100 MW combustion turbine used for regulation…The prospective benefits to California from the development of fast electricity storage resources for use in system regulation, balancing, and renewable ramping mitigation are significant…"