Draft of DOE baseload study says wind, solar don't threaten reliability

[Jimbo101]

ARS Technica

Trump’s push to support fossil fuels may not be at the expense of renewable energy.

On Friday evening, Bloomberg reported that it has seen an early draft of a study from the Department of Energy (DOE) concluding that renewable energy like wind and solar are not a threat to the reliability of the grid at present. The study was commissioned at the request of Energy Secretary Rick Perry.

The draft also apparently says that, even though baseload plants are being retired, that doesn’t translate to reliability issues. “The power system is more reliable today due to better planning, market discipline, and better operating rules and standards,” the draft allegedly says. “Grid operators are using technologies, standards and practices to assure that they can continue operating the grid reliably.”

Bloomberg also obtained a separate draft outline from May, which blames aging infrastructure, a leveling-off of demand, and competitive energy markets for the bleak outlook for coal and nuclear generation.

Still, the text of the study, which was originally due out in late June, could change. Energy Department spokesperson Shaylyn Hynes told Bloomberg “Those statements as written are not in the current draft,” noting that it was “constantly evolving.”

The people that Perry tapped to work on the study could give a hint at the direction the final draft will take. One of the study’s authors is Travis Fisher, a former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) economist who has written extensively in opposition to tax credits for wind energy and in favor of repealing the Clean Power Plan as well as the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards. In contrast, the principle author is reportedly Alison Silverstein, who worked at FERC under George W. Bush and later went on to consult for the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. She has also worked on previous studies for the DOE on renewable energy integration.

[Gothmog]

1. Former governor Goodhair is truly an idiot