The ISO recently issued comments to workshops held by the California Public Utilities Commission on the flexibility of the state’s green energy grid to quickly ramp up to meet rising energy demands during the sunset hours of the day for non-peak demand months. This ramping challenge to the energy grid has been created by the state’s 33 to 51 percent mandate for green power by 2020. This challenge is already occurring, but will get worse by 2015.
Of particular concern to the ISO are three-hour periods when the sun goes down in January, February and March and in October, November and December of each year (called “shoulder months” by the ISO). In a future state energy system that is half green, it would no longer be the peak hot months of the summer or an unusual winter cold snap that would present the risk of blackouts or rolling brownouts. Instead, it would be the sunset period of each day during moderate temperature months that is likely to present a critical challenge to the reliability of electricity for customers.
- See more at: http://calwatchdog.com/2013/10/07/cas-green-energy-swan-turning-into-ugly-duckling/#sthash.KtDSn4Mo.dpuf
First, this is good news for solar because the problem appearing is both regulation and the lower cost of solar. Solar can win market share in California, without the government mandates. But, in either case, there is still a capital cost to handle the switch over between solar and other sources.
In the first period of use we satisfy the government (and solar) demand using sunlight. The switch over period is difficult, revving up the fossil fuel generators and switching over just at sunset. Neither grid nor plant can do that without heavy new capital costs.
The grid operator wants to use customer pricing to reduce demand during the switch over period. Essentially charging the customer for the capital costs required to supply power during that critical period. Good idea.
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