Renewable Electricity Futures Study. Volume 2: Renewable Electricity Generation and Storage Technologies
The Renewable Electricity Futures (RE Futures) Study investigated the challenges and impacts of achieving very high renewable electricity generation levels in the contiguous United States by 2050. The analysis focused on the sufficiency of the geographically diverse U.S. renewable resources to meet electricity demand over future decades, the hourly operational characteristics of the U.S. gridwith high levels of variable wind and solar generation, and the potential implications of deploying high levels of renewables in the future. RE Futures focused on technical aspects of high penetration of renewable electricity; it did not focus on how to achieve such a future through policy or other measures. Given the inherent uncertainties involved with analyzing alternative long-term energyfutures as well as the multiple pathways that might be taken to achieve higher levels of renewable electricity supply, RE Futures explored a range of scenarios to investigate and compare the impacts of renewable electricity penetration levels (30%-90%), future technology performance improvements, potential constraints to renewable electricity development, and future electricity demand growthassumptions. RE Futures was led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
- 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:
- 1046903
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/TP-6A20-52409-2; TRN: US201215%%673
- Resource Relation:
- Related Information: (Volume 2 of 4); Additional Authors: Fernandez, S.J.; Goodrich, A.C.; Hagerman, G.; Heath, G.; O?Neil, S.; Paquette, J.; Tegen, S.; Young, K.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
25 ENERGY STORAGE
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
AVAILABILITY
ELECTRICITY
NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY
PERFORMANCE
STORAGE
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
renewable electricity
RE Futures
high renewable
generation
high penetration
United States
grid integration
scenario analysis