As the U.S. bulk power system continues to focus on distributed energy resources (DERs) for more of our overall electricity needs, the ability of the grid operators, power marketers, and reliability coordinators to maintain a secure supply will be increasingly challenged. This document reviews the various DER sources and the challenges in maintaining cybersecurity situational awareness and a stable risk profile.
Power Generation — What Will it Look Like in 2050
The U.S. Energy Information Administration1 has projected a continuous increase of power generation from renewables and a decrease of the same from coal and nuclear. As the economics of generation continue to change, these projections may become even more pronounced.
Energy generation – trends through 2050.
Correspondingly, the number of renewable generation locations required to achieve these projections will increase significantly. The power density of solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind is much lower than fossil fuels or even hydroelectric. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)2 studied the density of solar PV of various designs in 2013. There are many…
