Green Corridors: Linking Interregional Transmission Expansion and Renewable Energy Policies (original) (raw)
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2021
Many governments, electric utilities, and large electricity consumers have committed to deep decarbonization of the electricity sector by 2050 or earlier. Over at least the next 30 years, achieving decarbonization targets will require replacing most fossil-fueled generators with zero carbon wind and solar generation along with energy storage to manage intermittency and for balancing more broadly. The best wind and solar resources are located in geographic areas that are often far from the locations of the legacy stock of generating plants and their supporting transmission infrastructure. Many studies have found that achieving decarbonization targets in a cost-efficient manner will require significant investments in new intra-regional and inter-regional transmission capacity. However, there are numerous barriers to planning, building, compensating, and financing this transmission capacity. They go beyond “NIMBY” opposition. These barriers are identified and potential reforms to reduc...
The Electricity Journal, 2009
New, long-distance transmission lines to remote areas with concentrations of high-quality renewable resources can help western states meet the challenges of increasing renewable energy procurement and reducing greenhouse gas emissions more cost-effectively than reliance on local resources alone. The approach applied here to the Western Electricity Coordinating Council is useful for an initial determination of the net benefits of long-line transmission between regions with heterogeneous resource quality.
Economics of Energy & Environmental Policy, 2018
Achieving a sufficient and efficient development of the transmission grid in the new low-carbon and region-wide coordinated electricity markets being created will be central to their success. This requires setting up the required institutional framework and cost allocation arrangements, which is specially challenging when the relevant market covers several independent countries or administrative areas (like states or provinces). The features of the set of institutions to have in place and the interactions among them, as well as the network cost allocation arrangements implemented, are critical issues to ensure an efficient and sufficient development of the grid. This paper addresses those issues and argues that they should be defined with the aim to properly take into account the benefits to be produced by network reinforcements, since these are driven by the benefits they produce. This article discusses how the expected benefits of transmission network expansion projects should affect the organization of the expansion of the grid, the expansion planning algorithms applied and the allocation of the cost of network reinforcements. After discussing the definition of the principles to be applied to these activities in an integrated system, the implications of these in a regional, or multi-system, context are provided.
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Decarbonization and degrading infrastructure present twin challenges to the aging U.S. electrical grid, which is vital to the economy, national security, and public well-being. This article addresses challenges around transmission planning processes and policy options to improve these. Specifically, long-term regional transmission planning is hindered by conflicts over the equitable distribution of costs incurred and the benefits achieved by new development, as well as siting and permitting challenges. Policy changes that require comprehensive estimation of benefits and joint trans-regional evaluation can promote projects that fulfill grid requirements effectively and economically. In addition, increased regulatory direction and consideration for non-transmission alternatives (NTAs) and related distribution technologies could defer or replace the need for new transmission.
Transmission expansion in fast growing economies and the challenges of renewables integration
IEEE PES General Meeting, 2012
Transmission expansion in fast growing economies imposes severe challenges to electricity markets, given the need for planning and executing major midterm investments in an environment of uncertainty in load growth and generation expansion, coupled to the arrival of distributed renewable energy resources. This paper describes the approaches of two countries, Brazil and Chile, to tackle the challenges of transmission expansion, focusing on treatment of uncertainties, schemes for implementing expansion plans, and problems currently faced by different stakeholders. Renewable energy projects have experienced a significant development in the two countries, despite of difficulties faced by project developers with regard to financing, contracting, and, particularly, grid connection. We discuss solutions adopted or currently under consideration for the integration of renewables to the transmission system.
SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT OF TRANSMISSION EXPANSION ALTERNATIVES
Abstract–With good transmission infrastructure wind power can be better integrated and conventional power plants can optimize their production share. This brings as a direct consequence a number of sustainability benefits. Sustainability assessment methods are important as they provide valuable information for guiding the decision and policy makers in adopting the right measures for infrastructure development.
Energies, 2020
Texas has experienced a rapid development of wind power over the last 20 years. Since wind power was developed mostly in desolate areas that are remote from urban centers due to its nature conditions, Texas implemented the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) project, the goal of which is to integrate the wind supply regions with the large demand centers. The objectives of this paper are two-fold. The first is to investigate the impact of the CREZ project on market price convergence. Specifically, this paper analyzes the extent that the transmission project affected wholesale price level, variance, and difference between the regions. The second is to measure environmental benefits obtained from displacement of fossil fuel generators by wind power. The results provide a strong evidence for price convergence across the ERCOT market following the completion of the CREZ project. As well as price convergence, wholesale price level and variance are also reduced significantly. Specifi...