Integrating Variable Renewable Energy in Electric Power Markets: Best Practices from International Experience
Many countries -- reflecting very different geographies, markets, and power systems -- are successfully managing high levels of variable renewable energy on the electric grid, including that from wind and solar energy. This study documents the diverse approaches to effective integration of variable renewable energy among six countries -- Australia (South Australia), Denmark, Germany, Ireland,Spain, and the United States (Western region-Colorado and Texas)-- and summarizes policy best practices that energy ministers and other stakeholders can pursue to ensure that electricity markets and power systems can effectively coevolve with increasing penetrations of variable renewable energy. Each country has crafted its own combination of policies, market designs, and system operations toachieve the system reliability and flexibility needed to successfully integrate renewables. Notwithstanding this diversity, the approaches taken by the countries studied all coalesce around five strategic areas: lead public engagement, particularly for new transmission; coordinate and integrate planning; develop rules for market evolution that enable system flexibility; expand access to diverseresources and geographic footprint of operations; and improve system operations. The ability to maintain a broad ecosystem perspective, to organize and make available the wealth of experiences, and to ensure a clear path from analysis to enactment should be the primary focus going forward.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308
- OSTI ID:
- 1041369
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/TP-6A20-53732; TRN: US201211%%592
- Resource Relation:
- Related Information: For summary report see NREL/TP-6A00-53730.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Integrating Variable Renewable Energy in Electric Power Markets. Best Practices from International Experience, Summary for Policymakers
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Related Subjects
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
ECOSYSTEMS
ELECTRIC POWER
ELECTRICITY
FLEXIBILITY
MARKET
PLANNING
POWER SYSTEMS
RELIABILITY
SOLAR ENERGY
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
high penetration
wind
variable renewable energy
grid integration
balancing authority areas
systems integration
system operation
flexibility
public engagement
transmission
planning