Cooperation in Transmission Expansion Planning: Enhancing Grid Reliability and Efficiency Under a Changing Climate

Dataset · Wed Oct 23 04:00:00 EDT 2024

DOI:https://doi.org/10.57931/2474831· OSTI ID:2474831

Akdemir, Kerem Ziya ^[1]; Mongird, Kendall ^[2]; Kern, Jordan ^[3]; Oikonomou, Konstantinos ^[2]; Voisin, Nathalie ^[2]; Burleyson, Casey ^[2]; Rice, Jennie ^[2]; Zhao, Mengqi ^[2]; Bracken, Cameron ^[2]; Vernon, Chris ^[2]

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1. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
2. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
3. North Carolina State University

Electricity grids are challenged to maintain reliability during more intense and frequent extreme weather events due to climate change. This challenge is exacerbated by multi-sector electrification and power sector decarbonization through increased reliance on variable renewable energy, which necessitates the expansion of transmission infrastructure. However, transmission expansion planning is often complicated by intertwined planning authorities and jurisdictions, and allocation of large capital investment needs. These factors cause authorities to manage transmission investments individually (i.e., only/mostly intraregional planning), which can lead to suboptimal transmission networks. This study investigates the potential benefits of cooperative transmission expansion planning (i.e., both intraregional and interregional planning that optimizes transmission investments across the entire physical system). Using sectoral and economic optimization, and machine learning models, it analyzes the impact of different levels of cooperation among transmission planning regions within U.S. Western Interconnection in 2019 and 2059 via an iterative investment process. Furthermore, it examines the effects of future climate change on transmission cooperation by simulating historical heat waves from 2019 under conditions of 2059. The results indicate that cooperative transmission planning leads to lower wholesale electricity prices, decreased energy outages, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. However, the advantages of collaboration diminish during widespread heat waves, despite remaining beneficial especially for regions like California Independent System Operator with substantial solar installations. The study underscores the importance of transmission cooperation in reducing costs and enhancing reliability, emphasizing the need for strategic investments in storage to address challenges posed by future extreme weather events with varying spatial scales.

• Research Organization: MultiSector Dynamics - Living, Intuitive, Value-adding, Environment
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
• OSTI ID: 2474831
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

Capacity Expansion Model
Economics
Electricity Markets
Energy
Power System Model
Production Cost Model
Transmission Expansion Planning