Overview
Increasing renewables integration into the electric grid and changing demand patterns place new requirements on the electric infrastructure. An important contributing factor is the anticipated electrification of light and heavy-duty vehicles traditionally run on fossil fuels.
Significant short and long-term storage is necessary to manage increased renewables to the grid, as mandated by Renewable Portfolio Standards. In addition, supply and infrastructure must meet the demands of the growing electric fleet. Our research group is comparing grid-tied, behind the meter, and smart grid storage options, while examining the feasibility of long-term storage through the ‘power to gas’ approach. In addition, the researchers have identified cost effective and practical solutions to manage and increase renewables integration in fleet electrification context.
The resolve model – an advanced power system planning model that has been developed for the California Utilities Commission is being used to conduct this analysis. Designed to answer planning and operational questions related to renewable resource integration – Resolve co-optimizes investment and dispatch over a multi-year horizon. It has the ability to do a one-hour dispatch resolution for a study area, and solves for the optimal investments in renewable resources, technologies, and energy storage options.