Electric Co-op Today

Implementing initiatives to deal with climate change will require a long lead time because of their effects on bulk power system and impact on reliability, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. cautioned in a new report.

Gerry Cauley

The shifts could be “unprecedented,” the grid watchdog underscored.

Accordingly, “The reliability of the bulk power system must be part of the ongoing discussion on climate change,” said Gerry Cauley, NERC president and CEO.

“Sufficient time will be needed to ensure reliable integration of the new technologies and resources needed to meet the emissions goals of proposed climate change initiatives,” he said.

The “Reliability Impacts of Climate Change Initiatives Report,” prepared by a NERC task force, was released July 27. NRECA was represented on the group, which assessed the reliability implications of climate initiatives, supply resource responses, fuel mix changes and technologies deployed.

These technologies could include smart grid, as well as renewable, nuclear and energy storage resources, the task force specified.

Kirk Johnson, NRECA vice president, energy and environmental policy, termed the report “an important contribution to the discussion of the real world impacts of climate change proposals.”

To structure its inquiry, the NERC group looked at three time horizons: 2010-2020, 2020-2030, and 2030-2050. Each presented unique reliability challenges, it noted.

In the latter periods, the introduction of technologies such as coal- and gas-based plants with carbon capture and sequestration, energy storage, large-scale integration of demand response, and electric vehicles, among others, is possible.

However, the task force said, “Their actual implementation is dependent on substantial technological development and their effects on the reliability of the bulk power system.”

The NERC report noted that until binding carbon emissions targets and mechanisms are better understood, it is difficult to identify all potential reliability effects. However, it underscored, policymakers and regulators need to consider these impacts.

“This report clearly illustrates that climate change initiatives must be measured against their impacts on bulk power system reliability, which co-ops and other utilities are working so diligently to preserve and improve,” said Barry Lawson, NRECA manager of power delivery.

Tags: Climate Change, North American Electric Reliability Corporation