Leaders: Matilde D'Arpino, Noah Dormady
Background
Fundamental energy system transformation is accelerating. Between 2000 and 2020, renewable power generation capacity worldwide increased 3.7 fold, from 754 gigawatts (GW) to 2 799 GW. This fundamental transformation is driven by a variety of market and technological factors, including cost efficiencies, steadily improving technologies, economies of scale, competitive supply chains, investment and policy incentives and improvements in developer experience [IRENA 2021].
Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) have demonstrated many positive technological and societal impacts. They have helped improve system efficiency, sustainability, and they have facilitated emission reductions. However, they also provide several operational, market and policy challenges. These include intermittency, dispatchability and ramping limitations, and regulatory cost-recovery considerations in many jurisdictions.
These limitations also involve energy storage considerations, including battery technologies that can address some of the technological challenges presented by RESs. Energy storage systems, and in particular batteries, are playing a vital role in supporting the acceleration of RES adoption. However, market and regulatory systems can limit cost recovery and investment incentives for some of these technologies.
Scope
This ERG aims at investigating the following:
- Infrastructures and market requirements: Identification of grid transformation and outlook, and the associated technical, market and policy solutions that can facilitate, incentivize and enable RES integration into power systems (including generation, transmission and distribution systems)
- Technological advancements: Identification of concomitant technologies that can facilitate RES advancement in power systems
- Economic and regulatory considerations: Investigation of policy and regulatory considerations that influence RES integration into power systems
- Environmental considerations: Investigation of full lifecycle considerations associated with RESs and associated storage, access and disposal considerations
- Human interactions: Investigation of behavioral and decision science considerations that influence technological adoption, market and consumer behavior, and community acceptance of RESs
Goals
The group will meet monthly to discuss the individual projects of group members and provide a platform for collaboration among the group. This collaboration may lead to development of interdisciplinary proposals with the US DOE or other federal agencies.
The group intends to hold a symposium in the Spring/Summer of 2022.
For more information or to get involved, contact Matilde D'Arpino: DArpino.2@osu.edu