Page 68 - A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Energy Systems

Chapter 4 • Solar Power in the USA—Status and Outlook 63

commissioned by the Secretary of Energy rick Perry that focuses on the risks of increased
rE penetration in the shift away from coal, oil, and natural gas. SunShot estimates 80–230
GW of installed PV capacity by 2030 and 150–530 GW by 2040 [14–16].
The Obama Administration viewed renewable energy as critical to the decarbonization
of the economy. In 2014, President Obama tasked the DOE by Executive Order with analyz-
ing the overall US energy market and providing an update every four years. The Quadren-
nial Energy Review (QER) Report, includes an “integrated view of, and recommendations
for, Federal energy policy in the context of economic, economic, environmental, occupa-
tional, security, and health and safety priorities” [2].
Primary obstacles for increasing rE penetration in the US, include the need for sys-
tem flexibility, demand response, fast ramping of natural gas generation, storage, and
enhancements in data modeling and analysis to improve our understanding of the grid
operations (Fig. 4.15). These are further discussed in Section 4.3 of this chapter. Also, the
QER noted a strong connection between states with a renewable portfolio standard (RPS)
and renewable energy growth [2].
The QER noted four primary requirements for increased solar PV penetration. The inte-
gration of variable PV increases the need for system flexibility, which can be achieved through
access to a more diverse portfolio of generation sources, demand response, fast-ramping of
conventional generation sources, and storage. Data modeling and analysis refers to the need
to understand the electricity system to improve system flexibility. Timely data on how utilities
are changing operations to integrate increasing rE generation is pivotal to policymaking
and investment. Transmission system upgrades are required to accept new rE sources, par-
ticularly those far from urban centers. Finally, metrics for valuing solar are critical to under-
standing the costs and benefits of increased PV integration compared to conventional fuels,
particularly in light of environmental externalities, such as GHG emissions and water usage.
Each of these requirements will be detailed in Sections 4.3 and 4.4 of this chapter.

FIGURE 4.15 Requirements for increased solar PV penetration to the grid [2].