Nrel 80% renewable_electricity_integration_study

Portrayal of generation stack in 2050 for 4 days in summer peak load and 4 days in spring of lowest load showing how various generation types contribute, with 80% renewable generation.

Closeup of previous figure.

Closeup of figure 2 slides earlier.

Note the large curtailment of wind energy each day.

Chart showing the increased cost of retail electricity due to integration of 80% renewables. The current study’s projection is the gray region that projects a $38 per Megawatt hour increase in 2050. Current national retail cost of electricity is approximately $120 per Megawatt hour.

This projection shows that the cost of integrating 80% renewable energy into the power grid is quite reasonable (and this is without major decreases in cost such as from improved photo-voltaic solar panels).