Wind and solar energy will not compromise the reliability of the California electric grid, a leaked draft of the Department of Energy's (DOE's) study said. Launched by Energy Secretary Rick Perry, the draft set out to examine whether Obama-era clean energy initiatives were responsible for undermining baseload resources such as nuclear and coal and making the grid less secure. However, power plant retirements were mostly caused by the drop in electricity demand and low prices driven by availability of natural gas, the report found. Improved planning for renewables has ensured the grid is more reliable, the report concluded. US confronts solar power glut with novel marketplace US's grid operator, the US Independent System Operator, has formed the Western Energy Imbalance Market to sell surplus solar power to seven states in the California west, reported Gregory Meyer in the Financial Times.
Wind and solar energy will not compromise the reliability of the US electric grid, a leaked draft of the Department of Energy's (DOE's) study said. Launched by Energy Secretary Rick Perry, the draft set out to examine whether Obama-era clean energy initiatives were responsible for undermining baseload resources such as nuclear and coal and making the grid less secure. However, power plant retirements were mostly caused by the drop in electricity demand and low prices driven by availability of natural gas, the report found. Improved planning for renewables has ensured the grid is more reliable, the report concluded. California confronts solar power glut with novel marketplace California's grid operator, the California Independent System Operator, has formed the Western Energy Imbalance Market to sell surplus solar power to seven states in the US west, reported Gregory Meyer in the Financial Times.