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How low can you go? The importance of quantifying minimum generation levels for renewable integration

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  • Denholm, Paul
  • Brinkman, Greg
  • Mai, Trieu

Abstract

One of the significant limitations of solar and wind deployment is declining value caused by the limited correlation of renewable energy supply and electricity demand as well as limited flexibility of the power system. Limited flexibility can result from thermal and hydro plants that cannot turn off or reduce output due to technical or economic limits. These limits include the operating range of conventional thermal power plants, the need for process heat from combined heat and power plants, and restrictions on hydro unit operation. To appropriately analyze regional and national energy policies related to renewable deployment, these limits must be accurately captured in grid planning models. In this work, we summarize data sources and methods for U.S. power plants that can be used to capture minimum generation levels in grid planning tools, such as production cost models. We also provide case studies for two locations in the U.S. (California and Texas) that demonstrate the sensitivity of variable generation (VG) curtailment to grid flexibility assumptions which shows the importance of analyzing (and documenting) minimum generation levels in studies of increased VG penetration.

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  • Denholm, Paul & Brinkman, Greg & Mai, Trieu, 2018. "How low can you go? The importance of quantifying minimum generation levels for renewable integration," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 249-257.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:115:y:2018:i:c:p:249-257
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2018.01.023
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Mills, Andrew & Wiser, Ryan & Millstein, Dev & Carvallo, Juan Pablo & Gorman, Will & Seel, Joachim & Jeong, Seongeun, 2021. "The impact of wind, solar, and other factors on the decline in wholesale power prices in the United States," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    3. Ju, Chang & Ding, Tao & Jia, Wenhao & Mu, Chenggang & Zhang, Hongji & Sun, Yuge, 2023. "Two-stage robust unit commitment with the cascade hydropower stations retrofitted with pump stations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 334(C).
    4. Kamran, Muhammad & Fazal, Muhammad Rayyan & Mudassar, Muhammad, 2020. "Towards empowerment of the renewable energy sector in Pakistan for sustainable energy evolution: SWOT analysis," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 543-558.
    5. Ioannis Avagianos & Dimitrios Rakopoulos & Sotirios Karellas & Emmanouil Kakaras, 2020. "Review of Process Modeling of Solid-Fuel Thermal Power Plants for Flexible and Off-Design Operation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-41, December.
    6. Kapica, Jacek & Jurasz, Jakub & Canales, Fausto A. & Bloomfield, Hannah & Guezgouz, Mohammed & De Felice, Matteo & Zbigniew, Kobus, 2024. "The potential impact of climate change on European renewable energy droughts," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 189(PA).
    7. Denholm, Paul & Mai, Trieu, 2019. "Timescales of energy storage needed for reducing renewable energy curtailment," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 388-399.
    8. Tarroja, Brian & Shaffer, Brendan P. & Samuelsen, Scott, 2018. "Resource portfolio design considerations for materially-efficient planning of 100% renewable electricity systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 460-471.
    9. Prakash, Abhijith & Ashby, Rohan & Bruce, Anna & MacGill, Iain, 2023. "Quantifying reserve capabilities for designing flexible electricity markets: An Australian case study with increasing penetrations of renewables," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).

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