Education & Resources: Renewables Strengthen Reliability
Contrary to the claims of some coal and nuclear industry apologists, the addition of renewable resource energy to the nation’s electric grid actually boosts its reliability. That’s the conclusion of a new national report released this month.
The new report comes in anticipation of a study ordered by renowned intellectual (“oops”) and Trump Energy Secretary Rick Perry. Perry, an enthusiast for conventional coal and nuclear power production, recently asserted that the addition of more natural gas, solar, and wind energy to the nation’s electric generation mix weakens the electric grid’s reliability. He then announced that the Department of Energy will “study” that question—presumably to provide a report backing his assertion.
The primary basis for Perry’s assertion appears to be his conclusion that policies encouraging renewable energy generation are causing the early retirement of aging coal and nuclear plants. In fact, say the authors of the new report by the Analysis Group, those early retirements of aging plants are a straightforward result of economic market forces, as alternative energy (especially wind and solar) and gas have become increasingly less expensive than nuclear and coal.
Further, the study says, the addition of renewable sources to the electric grid bolsters its reliability by increasing its diversity and adaptability to change. Analyses of grid reliability around the country have shown no degradation due to the integration of renewables, and project that they can safely be introduced in much higher percentages.
This new report can be read in full and downloaded for reference here.
