By Joseph Bebon | Solar Industry
Incorporating high levels of wind and solar power into the Western Interconnection grid, which includes 13 U.S. states and some parts of Canada and Mexico, could ultimately save utilities billions of dollars per year in fuel costs and reduce carbon emissions by one-third, finds a new report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
According to NREL, the projected fuel savings outweigh added costs that the region’s utilities and fossil-fueled plant operators would have to incur in order to integrate the boost in wind and solar, which are intermittent energy resources. Through a practice called cycling, the lab explains, utilities often ramp up or down fossil plants in order to maintain reliable power when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine.
