Geographically dispersed wind sites were also commonly cited as a factor that reduces wind variability (EnerNex Corporation, 2006, 2011; EWEA, 2009; GE Energy, 2010). The studies did relatively little, however, to determine the benefits and costs of diversity. Differing wind siting scenarios in EWITS were intended to capture the benefits of geographic diversity, and the […]

As noted in Section 17.1 and in EnerNex Corporation (2011), Holttinen and col­leagues (2011), and NERC (2011a), the terminology used to define different reserve types has evolved over time and varies from country to country and region to region. NERC defines two reserve types, which are commonly estimated in wind integration studies: regulation reserves that […]

While all studies found that increased wind generation increases the variability in net load, several pointed out that existing power system technology and practices Study Wind Speed/Power Data Sources Sample Interval (minutes) NYSERDA 2005 AWS 8-km met. model 60 Historical plant data from IA 1/60 MN 2006 MM5 4-km met. model 5 ERCOT 2008 AWS […]

In addition to the industry studies reviewed, wind integration has also received considerable attention in the peer-reviewed academic literature. While a complete review of all related literature is beyond the scope of this chapter, it is useful to note a few particularly relevant research articles. Several articles have used simplified power system models to study […]

While the 11 studies reviewed are representative of most large-scale integration studies, this list is by no means comprehensive. Here we briefly mention a few addi­tional, notable recent studies. Two studies looked at wind integration in the U. S. state of Idaho. In a 2007 study (EnerNex Corporation, 2007), EnerNex looked at the effect of […]

NREL’s Renewable Energy Futures report studied the technical barriers to increas­ing renewable energy penetration in the United States to 80% by 2050 (NREL, 2012) . As with U. S. DOE (2008), this study was not intended as a complete integra­tion study but rather focused on the ability of renewable resources to match a high proportion, […]

The Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study (EWITS) covered the U. S. Eastern Interconnection (EnerNex Corporation, 2011) and was in many ways a com­panion to the Western U. S. study (GE Energy, 2010). Led by EnerNex Corporation, the study modeled the Eastern Interconnect in 2024 as though it were managed by seven large balancing authorities […]

The Western Wind and Solar Integration Study (WWSIS; GE Energy, 2010) was prepared by GE for NREL. The study was designed to assess the operational effects of up to 35% (30% wind, 5% solar) renewable energy penetration for the 2017 study year. Key research objectives included quantifying the potential benefits of geo­graphically dispersed wind sites, […]