1st Edition

Variable Renewable Energy and the Electricity Grid

By Jay Apt, Paulina Jaramillo Copyright 2014
360 Pages 159 Color Illustrations
by Routledge

360 Pages 159 Color Illustrations
by Routledge

360 Pages 159 Color Illustrations
by Routledge

The integration of renewable energy resources into the electricity grid presents an important challenge. This book provides a review and analysis of the technical and policy options available for managing variable energy resources such as wind and solar power. As well as being of value to government and industry policy-makers and planners, the volume also provides a single source for... Read more

Executive Summary 

Part 1: Technical and Policy Options 

1. Overview 

2. Variability and its Prediction 

3. Strategies to Reduce or Manage Wind and Solar Variability 

4. Improved Planning for Renewable Energy Capacity Expansion 

5. New Regulations, Rate Structures, and Standards to Support Variable Energy Resources 

6. Policies to Manage Variable Generation at Increased Renewable Contribution 

Part 2: Scientific Findings 

7. The Social Costs and Benefits of Wind Energy: Case Study in the PJM Interconnection 

8. Characteristics of Wind, Solar Photovoltaic, and Solar Thermal Power 

9. Forecast Error Characteristics of Wind and of Load 

10. Day-Ahead Wind Reserve Requirements 

11. Year-To-Year Variability in Wind Power 

12. Reduction of Wind Power Variability through Geographic Diversity 

13. Cycling and Ramping of Fossil Plants, and Reduced Energy Payments 

14. Storage to Smooth Variability 

A. Small-Scale Storage 

B. Economics of Grid Storage: 

i. Storage in the Largest Electricity Market, PJM 

ii. Pumped Hydroelectric Storage in Portugal and Norway 

iii. Compressed Air Energy Storage 

iv. Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) Storage 

v. Smart PHEV Charging 

15. The Cost-Effectiveness of Dynamically Limiting Wind Turbines for Secondary Frequency Regulation Capacity 

16. Quantifying the Hurricane Risk to Offshore Wind Power 

Part 3: Review of Large-Scale Wind Integration Studies 

17. A Critical Review of Large-Scale Wind Integration Studies in the United States

Biography

Jay Apt is a Professor in Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business and in the Carnegie Mellon Department of Engineering and Public Policy, USA. He directs the Carnegie Mellon Electricity Industry Center and the RenewElec Project. 

Paulina Jaramillo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, USA. She is also the executive director of the RenewElec Project.