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The North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) has recently released its ‘2020 Long-Term Reliability Assessment’ examining the issues, trends and potential risks that could impact the reliability of the electric grid over the next decade.
NERC, as the entity responsible for assuring the reliability of the North American electricity grid, examined the impact of retirements of large baseload power generators (coal and nuclear) and the rise of variable energy resources (wind and solar) as part of a changing electric grid. NERC’s forecast found that without action by policymakers, the potential exists for electric generation shortfalls in some areas in the country over the next several years and bluntly stated that “… to ensure reliability during the transition to greater reliance on wind and solar resources, emerging resource and energy adequacy issues must be addressed.”
Dive Brief:
The North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) expects there to be sufficient resource adequacy across most of the electric grid for the next decade, but also concluded in its 2020 Long-Term Reliability Assessment that there is a growing risk related to the high penetration of renewables in some regions. Nearly all parts of the Western Interconnection, Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and Midcontinent ISO (MISO) demonstrate increased risk over the next five years, the reliability organization said in its assessment released Tuesday.
Grid operators say they are taking steps to address the risks, while advocates for coal-fired power say the report highlights the importance of maintaining baseload plants for system reliability. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, since 2011 about 95 GW of coal capacity has been retired and and another 25 GW is slated to shut down by 2025.