![]() ![]() Unless officials responsible for keeping the lights on take steps to pause many of these coal retirements, it is hard to see how we avoid a crisis. The unnecessary tax subsidies for wind and solar power in the Inflation Reduction Act will also cause more coal plants to close. ![]() EPA projects that just one of these rules will shut down more than ten percent of the remaining coal fleet within the next three years. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is implementing or developing at least six rules that will shut down more coal-fired power plants, especially during 2026-2028. By the end of this decade, more than two-thirds of the coal fleet will have retired unless things change. This report explores the current status of North American electricity integration, and highlights themes of relevance, ranging from operational integration and physical infrastructure to stakeholder engagement and the business case for cross-border trade. During Storm Elliott, coal provided almost half the additional electricity PJM needed at the peak of the storm, whereas wind and solar could provide only 11 percent.Īlthough more than a third of the nation’s coal fleet has already closed, the problem is getting worse. 2.4.1 Governance of the North American Grid. ![]() Coal plants are five times more dependable than solar when electricity demand is greatest and 14 times more dependable than wind. But that is only part of the problem since wind and solar facilities, once built, depend on weather and are less dependable than coal. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator have issued similar warnings that power supplies in other regions of the country also are in jeopardy because fossil-fuel power plants, mostly coal-fired, are being shut down faster than replacement power sources, almost exclusively wind and solar, can be built. Electric Grid” is another timely warning about electricity shortages highlighted in a new report from PJM Interconnection. Watch for my next blog where I will explore the convergence of telecom and electrical utilities.The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board’s “S.O.S for the U.S. Be willing to engage with their customers on the customer side of the meter.Need to sell more than just “electrons” and sell value-added products.My prediction? Utilities will change more in the next decade than they have in the previous century, and the utilities that will be the most successful will: What we do know is the utility of the future will be much different than the historic electrical utility because, to remain viable, they will need to be. Powering Tomorrow Podcast The World’s Largest Machine: The North American Power Grid 1.3K On the latest episode of the podcast, we go beyond Ontario’s borders to get the North America-wide picture of the rapid transformation happening to power grids across the continent. In most cases, the answer is dependent on each utility-specific business model, customer demographics, geographic service area, climate, customer relationships, stranded assets, condition of assets, and legacy issues. What does this mean for consumers? That’s a difficult question to answer. Many historic cost-of-service business models of the electrical utility are unsustainable and they are having to look to other revenue sources. The increasing development pace of distributed renewable generation has created challenges for grid operations, requiring utilities to develop a variety of new tools (e.g., grid storage) while facing a reduction in utility energy sales and standing utility assets. But it also creates further complexity and challenges for managing the grid. This reduces individual energy costs and allows for more energy. The decreasing cost of PV cells also makes it easier for utility customers (residential, commercial, and industrial) to install their own solar generation. The inherent intermittent nature of renewable generation-wind turbines only generate when the wind blows-adds additional complexity.Īs the use of intermittent wind and solar renewables increases and the use of large, fossil-fueled centralized generating facilities decreases, the grid becomes more difficult to control and keep balanced. Because it is closer to the loads they serve, renewable generation has replaced many of the large central facilities, which have been shut down and decommissioned. Renewable generation is typically smaller in capacity and is distributed geographically (and electrically) throughout the grid. Over the past two decades, the landscape of the electrical grid has become increasingly complex. Wind generation occurs when electricity is created by wind spinning a wind turbine, which is connected to an AC generator. Solar generation occurs when sunlight is converted directly to DC electricity through photovoltaic (PV) cells, which are specialized semiconductor devices specifically designed for this purpose. For this discussion, consider the two fastest-growing renewable generation technologies: solar and wind. Renewable generation is energy generated through natural processes. ![]()
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