How Grid Planners and Power Markets Are Better Defining System Needs to Achieve a Cost-Effective and Reliable Supply Mix
The nation’s electricity grid operators are increasingly turning to more flexible resources and low-cost renewable energy options like wind and solar, rendering outdated the notion that “baseload” generating plants are required to reliably power America’s homes and businesses, according to a new report by the global economics consulting firm The Brattle Group, commissioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
The Brattle analysis, Advancing Past “Baseload” to a Flexible Grid: How Grid Planners and Power Markets Are Better Defining System Needs to Achieve a Cost-Effective and Reliable Supply Mix, was published in advance of an upcoming release of a Department of Energy grid study report. In April, Secretary Rick Perry ordered a 60-day assessment of whether wind and solar energy are undermining power markets and grid reliability by supplanting “baseload” coal and nuclear generating plants, declaring that “baseload power is necessary to a well-functioning electric grid.” The Brattle analysis demonstrates that is not the case.
Read More.........
