Wind, Solar Showing Reliable Performance in Weather Extremes

This USAToday story is timely, and reminded me of the conversations I have had with researchers Jonathan Koomey, and Amol Phadke.

USAToday:

In the wake of Winter Storm Elliott in 2022, which battered the Midwest and the Northeast, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the North American Electric Reliability Corp. found that gas, coal and oil-generated power accounted for 90% of the prolonged power outages experienced throughout the storm.

Again, opponents of clean power pointed at renewable energy while ignoring that one natural gas plant was down for maintenance and several others had either gone down partially or entirely due to the cold.

During Winter Storm Heather last month, Texas experienced record high peak demand for electricity and maintained power thanks to a weatherized grid that included 25% more wind and three times more storage and solar than was online during Uri. Grid operators in the Midwest and Northeast reported wind and solar operating above expectations, especially when the grid was most strained.

While weather-related blackouts grab the headlines, what’s less noticed is how wind and solar are increasingly providing reliable power day in and day out, across the country. More than 15% of America’s power now comes from wind and solar farms, providing an extremely valuable power source that’s helping the grid keep up with increasing demand.

Further, studies clearly demonstrate that the U.S. grid can operate reliably with high levels of renewable energy.

Battery storage helps supply power when its needed

While all sources of energy have vulnerabilities, renewable energy is increasingly buttressed by a technology that’s growing rapidly: battery storage. Battery storage systems store the power from renewable sources and deliver it to the grid when needed.

Increasingly, large utility-scale wind and solar projects are coupled with battery storage.

Especially in recent summers when demand typically increases due to air conditioning, battery storage is providing enhanced reliability and stability for our grid systems during critical moments such as historic heat waves in California and Texas.

Of course, the irony of scapegoating wind and solar development during extreme weather outages is that this is precisely the type of clean power we need to reduce the effects of climate change. Rather than exploiting weather-related blackouts to drive an agenda, the private and public sectors need to be laser-focused on working together to make sure we have a more resilient power system.

Outages that lead to widespread suffering could very well become the norm unless we get serious about solutions. The first step needs to be a clear-eyed and truthful assessment of the facts.

This is from a recent Resources document I made for energy activists in Michigan:

US News and World Report recently published a ranking of all 50 US states by electric grid reliability.

The top three most reliable grids are Nebraska, South Dakota, and Illinois, all of which have higher penetration of renewable energy than Michigan. Rounding out the top 10 most reliable states is Iowa, which has the highest renewable percentage of any state.

With more than 85 percent gas, coal, and nuclear, purportedly the most reliable sources of energy in fossil fuel talking points, Michigan’s grid reliability rates a sad 43rd.

All of the states mentioned above, by the way, according to the US Energy Information Agency, have lower electric rates than Michigan.

Iowans, for instance, with more than 63 percent renewables, pay 15 cents/kwh, while Michiganders are paying more than 19 cents/kwh.