Weather forecasters are used to – and very good at – predicting large-scale weather patterns and then inferring what the actual surface weather conditions will be, based on a database of past events. Hannah Bloomfield at the University of Reading explains how the creation of a database of site-specific wind and solar generation, as well as grid demand, can be used in the same way to more accurately predict the impact of the weather on these … [Read more...]
ELCC: how to measure grid stability as renewables are added
We cannot just swap 24/7 fossil fuel power plants for intermittent renewables. To prevent electricity shortfalls the capacity of a solar or wind plant must exceed that of the fossil fuel plant it replaces. But by how much? That’s the question that the Effective Load Carrying Capability (ELCC) metric is designed to answer. It’s not a new concept, but is now becoming very important. Mark Specht at the Union of Concerned Scientists explains the … [Read more...]
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