Friday, May 15, 2009

Can The Grid Handle Renewables?

Photo: LIGHTS OUT FOR THE OLD GRID? A six-month study will test the grid's ability to handle the load and fluctuation of a surge of renewable energy. FLICKR/PETER KAMINSKI

From Scientific American:

A new study aims to find out how much electricity from wind and sunshine the aging power grid can support.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission launched a six-month study today to determine how much renewable energy the electric grid can accommodate.

FERC will work with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on the $500,000 study to validate the preliminary frequency-response tool developed by the commission to gauge the grid's reliability if large quantities of renewable energy are sent to the system.

"We need a good metric – a good yardstick, a tool – to assess how much renewable energy can be injected into the bulk power ... system," said Joseph McClelland, director of FERC's Office of Electric Reliability.

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