Energy issues have dominated the recent news cycles. Much of the news has been bad. We have been treated to stories about BP's debacle in the Gulf of Mexico, the nuclear nightmare in Japan, a big fracking mess in Pennsylvania, and skyrocketing prices at the pump. Fortunately, there is some good news to report. On Friday, there was a record clean energy spill in California with solar and wind power generating 9% of the state's electricity.
The California Energy Commission and the California Independent System Operator Corp. (ISO), which runs most of the state's transmission lines, said solar and wind producers as of Friday generated nearly 9 percent of the state's peak demand, or enough electricity to light about 2.2 million homes.
With more wind and solar development in the works, the record will not last long. However, an equally important development is grid modernization which will make it easier to manage the growing renewable energy capacity.
"We continue to set new records as we go and as new resources come on line," said Steve Berberich, chief operating officer of California ISO.
Berberich's comments came during the public unveiling of California ISO's new $150 million, state-of-the-art headquarters and power grid control center in Folsom – part of Earth Day events planned by California ISO and the energy commission.
Sacramento Bee, April 23, article by Rick Daysog
Our aging electric grid is proving to be an obstacle to adding capacity from renewable sources. The generation capacity often exceeds the transmission capacity, particularly during peak generation periods from the wind and solar power. The variability in output also creates strains on distribution.
California has chosen to address some of the limitations of its grid system by adding a bigger and better brain. The ISO command center, which controls 80% of the California grid, allows smarter distribution of power to handle the ebbs and flows of renewable energy. Even the new building that houses the command center is smart in design:
Green highlight: Though twice as large as Cal ISO's former headquarters, it uses about 72 percent less energy. Solar panels supply about one-fourth of its energy needs.
While a bigger brain can facilitate making the most of a state's transmission capacity, eventually you need a bigger and better nervous system. Areas of optimal wind and solar power often lack transmission capacity from the point of generation. This graphic illustrates the distance from our best wind generation areas to existing transmission nervous system.
Once connected, renewable energy generation during peaks can exceed transmission capacity and demand. This bumping up against the limits of transmission capacity can lead to dysfunctional situations like that encountered in Oregon and Washington recently. Thanks to an abundance of hydroelectric capacity from unusually large snowpack and runoff through the Columbia River system, the grid has had more power than it can use. Their "solution" was to sideline the wind generation capacity.
The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), which is responsible for managing the regional transmission system, has indicated that it will likely limit wind power to handle a surge in hydro-power production resulting from the melt-off of a large mountain snowpack this year. The regional transmission system apparently lacks the capacity to accommodate wind production and heavier than usual hydropower production at the same time.
One could argue that spilling wind makes the most sense because of the unexpected bonanza from hydropower. One could also it call stupid, wasteful, and symptomatic of our outdated grid infrastructure.
The "holy grail" of renewable energy, particularly from variable generation methods like solar and wind, is grid-level storage. One such "closed-loop" storage system is in the early development stage for the Columbia River area in Oregon. Using a two-reservoir system, excess capacity in the grid is used to pump water to an upper reservoir, which is then emptied downhill into the lower reservoir over a series of hydroelectric turbines when additional power is needed.
The proposals, if approved, would involve building a closed-loop pumped storage facility in Gilliam County with a 500 MW capacity and storage potential of 16,000 MWh; a closed-loop pumped storage facility in Sherman County with a 400 MW capacity and storage potential of 9,500 MWh; and a pumped storage facility in Malheur County that would use an existing reservoir along with a second, to-be constructed reservoir, to create a 500 MW capacity pumped storage facility with storage potential of 15,000 MWh. If approved by FERC, the projects would be permitted individually. Each would occupy between 120 and 200 acres with reservoirs. A powerhouse and transmission line would be located underground.
Similar projects are being proposed by three other developers in the Klamath County area, targeting key transmission lines between Oregon and California: one by Swan Lake North Hydro, LLC, another by Intertie Energy Storage, LLC, and a third by Bryant Mountain, LLC.
Increasing grid management, capacity, and storage are three ways to facilitate continued growth of clean renewable energy. Let me add a fourth. Sideline some coal-fired plants except during peak emergencies, such as during summer heat waves.
There are other ways to deal with grid strain from renewable energy. Here is an example from the great state of Alaska, home to some of the biggest fossil fools in politics. If you look at the map of wind generation potential shown above, you will notice that Alaska has some prime wind potential beyond the slithery stupidity of Sarah Palin, Lisa Murkowski, and Sean Parnell. One area is near the mouth of the Cook Inlet in the southern part of the state. A proposed wind farm on Fire Island is stalled because the local utility refuses to buy the power even though the gas reserves used by the utility are dwindling. It is not a question of cost because wind and gas are comparably priced at the moment (around 8.7 cents per kilowatt hour) and continued reliance on gas will cost more in the long run.
The biggest obstacle for the Fire Island wind farm is "the will to do the project," said a federal expert who studied it -- Brian Hirsch, senior project leader for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
The national laboratory provided technical assistance to the Fire Island project last year. The laboratory concluded, as Hirsch wrote in a letter last November, that the most significant hurdles are "institutional and contractual, not technical."
Projects elsewhere in the United States have faced similar technical and cost issues, "and they've worked out fine," Hirsch said.
Here are some of those institutional and contractual hurdles. The utility company in question, Municipal Light and Power, owns a stake in the largest gas field in Cook Inlet. The state wants to pay $500 million to subsidize development of a new natural gas pipeline, but does not want to cover any upfront costs of the Fire Island wind farm even though all of those costs could be recovered from federal stimulus program if committed by the end of year.
And let's not forget the grand Ryan Republican Plan for dealing with clean energy and electric grid modernization.
House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin proposed a 70 percent cut to clean energy programs in the Republican budget plan released April 5.
The Ryan Republican Plan includes nearly $50 billion in subsidies and tax breaks for fossil fuels over the coming decade along with a $50 billion oil royalty loophole.
Given the choice between making progress toward a low carbon future and circling the drain, I vote we follow California's example.