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Video: Path to Carbon-Free Power Generation by 2035
21 Dec, 2020 Author Molly ChristianZack HaleEllie Potter
During the early afternoon of Dec. 21, Congress unveiled its nearly 5,600-page bipartisan stimulus package and government funding bill that includes many energy provisions lawmakers have sought for months, if not years. Both the U.S. House and Senate are expected to vote on the bill late the same day.
The massive bill includes the Energy Act of 2020, legislation containing numerous energy bills that House and Senate negotiators sought to include in a spending package.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the proposal seeks to modernize energy innovation programs at the U.S. Department of Energy, authorizing $35 billion in federal research and development funding. He called the bill a significant step in the right direction in tackling the climate crisis.
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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.
Dive Brief:
The U.S. Department of Energy has confirmed that its computer systems were compromised as part of the devastating SolarWinds hack, though the agency said that so far the malware has not impacted mission essential national security functions.
Fallout from the massive security breach continues, and experts say energy companies are scrambling to assess their networks. It is widely believed Russian hackers associated with that nation s intelligence service are behind the operation, which targeted multiple U.S. government agencies.
Security experts say the hack is unprecedented for its scale and sophistication. The operation was a success for Russia, strategically, and calls into question the security of the United States and our industrial grid, said Matthew Schmidt, an associate professor of national security and political science at the University of New Haven.