Decarbonization of electricity requires market-based demand flexibility

To effectively decarbonize the electric sector, utilities will need to address the growing load shape challenges driven by the variability of many renewable resources. Behind-the-meter solutions, such as energy efficiency, demand response, electrification and storage, will play an important role in grid stability, but only if they can deliver changes in demand that meet the time and locational needs of the grid. This article will discuss how smart meter interval data, combined with open source methods and software, provide transparent measurement of savings load shapes (resource curves) that enable the integration of demand flexibility into energy, capacity and carbon markets, and as a transmission and distribution resource. This allows utilities to procure demand flexibility in the same way they procure other resources by leveraging a price signal and pay-for-performance to drive innovation and attract private investment.     

Case study of the energy transition: Pueblo,Colorado

Pueblo, Colorado is undergoing a major transformation towards becoming a clean energy hub, with lessons for the whole country. The transition began as the community started to move away from its steel- and coal-based economy to found jobs and economic salvation in a diversified industry. We consider the evolution of the city’s relationship with energy and manufacturing, and conclude with some lessons learned about partnership, government engagement, utility collaboration, and energy transition leadership.     

Quantifying net energy metering subsidies

Net energy metering (NEM) is the policy available in many states that promotes customer-owned rooftop solar power generation by compensating rooftop solar owners for each kWh that it generates at the retail rates. To help understand the magnitude of the residential net metering subsidies, we conducted a study to assess the subsidies for 16 US utilities with varying geographic location, size, rooftop solar penetration, and NEM policy.     

Target and demand for renewable energy across 10 ASEAN countries by 2040

The member countries of Southeast Asia have renewable energy sources that never run out like solar energy, wind, geothermal, hydropower, biomass, etc. Geographically, Southeast Asian countries are between two continents that have tropical and humid climate conditions in general, while only Myanmar has a subtropical climate because it is astronomically. This provides easier access to many renewable energy sources. The governments of ASEAN member countries have made several policies and promoted renewable energy to encourage individuals and industries to use renewable energy in the future. This study provides information on the status of renewable energy as a comprehensive substitute for fossils in Southeast Asian countries, which includes the potential for renewable energy in the region and the capacity of renewable energy currently available. The study also provides brief information on the potential of renewable energy, renewable energy targets, and challenges to energy demand in Southeast Asia. In addition, this paper provides several recommendations for renewable energy in Southeast Asian countries.     

Willingness to pay for renewable electricity: A contingent valuation study in Turkey

Renewable energy sources are advised as an important alternative vehicle for dealing with a high rate of energy dependency and global warming. Turkey has also an ambitious national energy goal of minimizing energy import and producing 30% of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2023. However, it may not be easy to reach these goals. Willingness to Pay (WTP) thus plays a central role in directing appropriate policies for the country to realize its energy targets. This study reviews previous studies in the same literature as well as examines WTP of Turkish citizens for renewable electricity energy by using a stratified-sample and contingent valuation survey of 2500 households. The results from estimated models show that environmental conscience, membership to an environmental organization, age, education level, gender and income of households are significant determinants of WTP. In addition, the mean value of WTP for green electricity by Turkish households is estimated at around US$ 1 (with the exchange rate 5,3 TL/ US$) per month per household. A number of policy suggestions are further discussed.     

Implementing demand response 2.0: Progress toward full potential in the United States

Demand response can be an excellent flexible resource and can cost-effectively support a grid with high penetrations of variable renewable generation. Unfortunately, this potential has not yet been widely exploited, due to a number of obstacles at the wholesale and distribution levels. This article reviews those barriers and the prospects for better uptake of demand response.     

The role of energy efficiency in a distributed energy future

Many state regulatory commissions are engaged in proceedings to modernize the electric grid. These proceedings include a heavy focus on updating system planning processes to reflect growth in distributed generation and other technological advances. This essay examines current distribution system and distributed resource planning. We analyze how states are incorporating energy efficiency into these plans, focusing on states that are actively using efficiency as a resource.     

Assessing the relevance of barriers to energy efficiency implementation in the building and transport sectors in eight European countries

The paper maps and evaluates the main economic, institutional, and behavioural barriers to the implementation of energy efficiency in final uses. Barriers prevent the achievement of targets of energy efficiency policies and measures. Assessing the relevance of barriers can lead to their consideration in goal-setting by policy-makers either by reducing ambition or by incorporating solutions to mitigate barriers, We consider three main categories of barriers: economic, institutional, and behavioural ones, in buildings and transport sectors. In order to assess the relevance of each specific barrier in these categories, a survey to experts in eight Countries (Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Estonia, United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium and Serbia) has been performed. The relevance of barriers is assessed by two levels of analysis: 1. their impact on policies and measures, and 2. their impact on the diffusion of key clean technologies and interventions in the two sectors. In the building sector, we find that the most relevant barriers relate to economic and behavioural categories. In the transport sector, we find that the most relevant barriers relate to institutional and economic categories. Economic barriers are also the most relevant in limiting the diffusion of technologies and interventions in both sectors. Results highlight the relevance of identifying and assessing barriers in order to improve policy design.     

How Citizen Potawatomi Nation utilizes energy efficiency and renewable energy to address its high energy burden

Tribal lands comprise 2% of the United States but contain 5% of the potential renewable resources totaling over 14 billion MWh of energy generation potential. A vast majority of this potential has been undeveloped. Challenges such as difficulty accessing capital, securing interconnection and power purchase agreements, and persistent poverty have hindered energy development. The Citizen Potawatomi Nation is recognized for utilizing energy efficiency and renewable energy to address its high energy burden.     

A method for evaluating effects of energy efficiency improvement on carbon dioxide emission reduction

Global warming due to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a matter of serious concern. Energy efficiency improvement has been considered to be the most effective strategy for reducing CO₂ emissions. The acceleration of R&D for energy technologies which have large effects on CO₂ emission reduction should be effective in abating global warming. In this study, the author proposes a method for evaluating the effects of energy efficiency improvement on CO₂ emission reduction. This method utilizes a compact energy system model combined with analytical calculations. Using this method, effects of energy efficiency improvement in Japan in the year 2030 are analyzed. Energy efficiency improvement in thermal power generation, nuclear power generation, and heat utilization are especially effective for reducing CO₂ emissions. The author estimates that CO₂ emissions per capita can be stabilized at the present level by energy efficiency improvement.     

Contours of the energy transition: Investment by international oil and gas companies in renewable energy

International oil and gas companies are deploying a range of strategies to invest in renewable energy technologies and projects. By now, the IOCs have become substantive players in the renewables market, lending their scale and business expertise to deploying clean energy. But they have seen mixed success in their efforts thus far, and the models IOCs choose to follow as they become interested in deploying renewables are still emerging.     

Economic and sustainability promises of wind energy considering the impacts of climate change and vulnerabilities to extreme conditions

A dramatic expansion of the worldwide wind power capacity is underway which is critical to an effective mitigation of climate change. However, wind tower infrastructure is susceptible to extreme weather conditions such as tropical cyclones and thunderstorms. Under the context of global climate changes and intense weather events, it is imperative to assess the impacts of extreme conditions on the susceptibility of the global wind power with important implications on energy security and power system resilience. In this paper, we discuss the necessity and rationality of wind power deployment considering extreme weather perspectives on enhancing the global sustainability, security, economics, and resilience. We assess the vulnerability of wind power to extreme weather events under climate change and present the correlation of wind power proliferation, extreme weather events, and climate change issues. Our results indicate that, if extreme wind speed increases by 20% considering a 50-year return wind speed and load safety factor is changed from 1.35 to 1.7, the initial capital cost of wind unit installation by the end of this century could increase by about 12% because of the higher strength in tropical cyclones. In this period, upward lightning strike will be intensified due to the use of taller wind turbines and higher angular speed of blades. Also, additional storm surges and sea ices will potentially cause higher risks to inland and offshore wind tower structures and foundations because of the continuously rising sea levels. It is confirmed in our discussion that the proliferation of wind power generation would be beneficial despite its vulnerabilities by curbing the use of fossil-based power generation units, mitigating severe carbon emission, and reducing climatic changes and extreme weather events, which could also cause significant structural damages to wind turbines installations globally. The article concludes that it is vital in the scientific community to further analyze the relationship among global wind energy integration, extreme weather events, and climate changes, and for politicians to formulate a comprehensive energy policy strategy, as engineers continue to investigate the means of deploying additional inland and offshore wind farms and consider other types of renewable energy resources with a direct link with weather conditions, for a sustainable, economic, secure, and resilient energy production.     

The role of electric vehicles in a decarbonized economy: Supporting a reliable,affordable and efficient electric system

Reductions in the carbon intensity of electricity generation, coupled with technological improvements in the end uses that it can power, have created opportunities for the electrification of large segments of the economy. As the largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in our economy — 29% of total 2017 U.S. energy-related emissions — electrifying transportation is a key opportunity. Although the technology needed to decarbonize ground transportation exists today, an affordable and reliable transition will require a focus on policy and regulatory changes. Accommodating and correctly managing this growth in electric transportation will be critical to the development of a low-carbon future. If not properly planned for through direct and indirect charging controls, this new load could produce major impacts on the power system and its operations. However, managed correctly, EVs can serve as a useful tool and asset for grid managers and can be accommodated even under aggressive EV adoption models.     

纽约州能源效率和可再生能源计划

美国纽约州能源研究和开发管理局(NYSERDA)提供各种计划帮助纽约州居民和企业提高能源效率。这些计划为纽约人提供了各种渠道去获得资金和技术专长,学习成熟的清洁能源技术和减少能源浪费的流程,并使得人们在省钱的同时能够保护环境。NYSERDA提供资源、专业知识和客观信息,使得纽约人可以做出明智的能源决策。NY-SERDA计划分成5个系列,每个系列代表一个互补的组提供该区域的能源重点和目标。     

Relative merits of load following reserves & energy storage market integration towards power system imbalances

Traditionally, power system balancing operations consist of three consecutive control techniques, namely security-constrained unit commitment (SCUC), security-constrained economic dispatch (SCED), and automatic generation control (AGC). Each of these have their corresponding type of operating reserves. Similarly, energy storage resources (ESRs) may be integrated as energy, load following, or regulation resources. A review of the existing literature shows that most ESR integration studies are focused on a single control function. In contrast, recent work on renewable energy integration has employed the concept of enterprise control where the multiple layers of balancing operations have been integrated into a single model. This paper now uses such an enterprise control model to demonstrate the relative merits of load following reserves and energy storage integrated into the resource scheduling and balancing action layers. The results show that load following reserves and energy storage resources mitigate imbalances in fundamentally different ways. The latter becomes an increasingly effective balancing resource for high net-load variability and small day-ahead market time step.     

Conventional hydroelectricity and the future of energy: Linking national inventory of dams and energy information administration data to facilitate analysis of hydroelectricity

Within the energy community, conventional dam and reservoir-based hydroelectricity is often viewed as a low-cost, immediately available zero-carbon resource that could facilitate more intermittent renewable electricity integration, seasonal storage, and other grid benefits. Conventional hydroelectricity systems, however, are potentially unique among power plants in that energy provisioning is not the only priority for their fuel, stored water. This paper presents a record linkage between electricity- and dam management-oriented datasets to facilitate attention to the fundamental challenge of altering operational regimes for systems that have other uses.     

Beyond 100 % renewable: Policy and practical pathways to 24/7 renewable energy procurement

Corporations are increasingly shaping the future of the electric grid by pursuing 100 % renewable energy goals that seek to match their annual energy consumption with an equal volume of renewable energy. The challenge of achieving a 100 % renewable electricity grid, however, is not only a question of how much renewable energy is built, but rather whether renewables can supply electricity when it is needed. One emerging approach to address this challenge is “24/7" renewable energy, which requires matching a corporation’s hourly energy demand with renewable energy produced in the same region and hour. This paper explores the evolution of voluntary renewable energy procurement goals, presents a practical framework for 24/7 renewable energy procurement, and suggests policy developments that would support wider adoption of a time-matched renewables procurement approach.     

Blockchain for decentralized transactive energy management system in networked microgrids

The proliferation of distributed energy resources is reshaping the landscape of power distribution systems, including a network of autonomous microgrids. Networked microgrids transact energy for managing the efficiency, reliability, resilience, security, and sustainability of electric power services. This article offers a vision and analyzes a scheme developed for networked microgrids that utilizes blockchain technologies to optimize the financial and physical operations of power distribution systems. Blockchain provides a powerful and trustworthy path for launching distributed data storage and management, the article explores the possibility of customizing blockchain technologies to meet socioeconomic requirements of transactive energy management at the power distribution level. Then, a set of interoperable blockchains embedded with self-enforcing smart contracts is proposed to manage energy and financial flows among transacting microgrids in a credible manner. The article presents additional smart contract measures for securing optimal energy transactions between networked microgrids and the local distribution grid. It is concluded that blockchain technologies embedded in transactive energy will play a significant role in the evolution of traditional power distribution systems to active distribution networks.     

爱尔兰能效与节能状况

提高能源效率是爱尔兰可持续能源政策的重要组成部分。能源效率是国际公认的减少对化石燃料依赖的最有成本效益的方法。能源效率是爱尔兰发展绿色经济的强大基础。爱尔兰需要紧急采取重点突出的集体行动,建设高效低碳的能源系统。论述了爱尔兰住宅、商业和工业的节能经济潜力和提高能源效率的政府措施。     

‘Missing Money’ and an off-ramp to the capacity debate

As weather-dependent renewables increase, energy revenues in the wholesale market diminish, even as the need for dispatchable resources remains. Such resources are otherwise compensated by forward capacity markets, but those markets are poorly matched to customers’ real needs and the operational realities of a renewable-heavy world. The solution to these issues in market design may be found in an Operating Reserve Demand Curve, intended to pay capacity when and where it is available and needed, as a complement to real-time energy pricing.