What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?
Well if this is a physics questions and not a metaphor for grid modernization, the answer is that neither of those are really possible. But this IS a metaphor for grid modernization and the the immovable object (the grid) is under serious threat from the unstoppable force (renewable energy).
A few weeks ago, Massachusetts filed emergency regulation to kick off the SMART program (Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target), a new solar incentive program designed to cut out the unpredictability of the SREC (solar renewable energy certificate) market. Rather than a market based scheme, the SMART program will set an incentivized rate and also include bonuses for energy storage projects and community based and low income solar projects previously not available in the SREC program. Here’s a 47 page powerpoint in case you’re interested (link). It’s fairly complicated and the details on the money flow is still not entirely clear. But the bigger issue is that we’re still not tackling the issue of a grid ill equipped to handle renewable energy.
The utilities have 2 basic mandates: Keep the lights on, keep the prices fair. Easy enough when all you have to do is generate energy on one end and deliver it to another. But with the addition of distributed energy generation, it becomes a bit more complicated.
For those of you who are less familiar with the grid, you may have the following questions:
1. Doesn’t solar make the grid useless? Why don’t we just make all our energy through solar?
While it is possible to not have to pull from the grid for months at a time with the right combination of solar, wind, storage, and generators, here’s the issue…
“The sun isn’t always shining and the wind isn’t always blowing, so a future relying on just solar or wind energy isn’t feasible.” -Aoi Senju
For the foreseeable future, we’re going to need dispatchable generation, electricity that can be ramped up or down based on need.
2. Great, so we can just use solar most of the time and then just turn on a natural gas plant or a coal plant whenever we need?
Well, no… It can cost up to billions of dollars to create a generation plant. Also factor in operation and management costs. Nuclear costs $100/kW/year which can add up to several million in operation fees. But that’s with a fixed schedule with steady output. Imagine that you’re ramping it up and down like crazy to match the generation of solar output. You have to leave employees on call to sit around a non necessary asset just in case. Resources have to be bought on the spot and you can’t plan ahead. This means that you’re not getting the full usage of your power plant, but it’s also costing you a lot more in unpredictable operations and management costs.
3. I don’t understand. The utilities need energy. Solar panels make energy for free. Why don’t they like all the energy that’s being made?
Here’s a quick explanation of how the grid works.
Now imagine that every red person is a generator. They pedal hard and create the energy needed to keep the bike moving. Everyone in blue is the load, anybody who uses energy. All the people in red have to do is pedal hard enough to keep the bike moving. But it’s not as simple as it looks. For one, consider that everyone has to pedal at the same speed. If one of the people in red goes too fast or too slow, it messes with everyone else. Or maybe one of the reds gets a cramp. Now the other three have to compensate for him resting. They also have to keep the bike balanced in the event that one of the blue kids starts leaning over (inductive load). One of the red people have to lean the opposite way. Now imagine that the blue people can hop on and off as they please. Oh, any they can start pedaling whenever they want to (renewable energy). So suddenly, the people in red have to be able to anticipate when blues are coming on and off, when they’re pedaling themselves, when they’re leaning left or right, and much more.
In order to go renewable while remaining reliable, several changes need to be made. One, we need to upgrade to infrastructure that can handle bi-directional power. Energy can flow “freely” in both directions. To do this, smart metering technologies are needed to understand the flow. With better insights into where our energy goes, it’ll be much easier to make decisions of power flow and load balancing. Energy storage is a great option for load balancing, frequency regulation, and overall flexibility. Your laptop can work without a battery if it’s just plugged in but it’s a lot more convenient to let it run off battery power. It’s a bit more difficult to figure out when the battery is 250lbs and costs $5000. Technologically we can get there though. We’re aware of what the technical challenges are and how to solve them. But whose task is it to pay for all this? Who holds the responsibility of bringing us into the future of energy? Depending on which side you stand on, the answer is different and I don’t really know my own answer.
So what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? Well, here’s one way of looking at it: an unstoppable force is one that cannot be accelerated. An immovable object is one that cannot be accelerated. These two are one and the same. And maybe that’s the only way for both the grid and renewable energy to thrive. The grid must recognize the need for modernization not just from an economical standpoint but also from an environmental and technological innovation standpoint. At the same time, the renewable energy industry must see the pressure the utilities are under and seek solutions that benefit ratepayers and the rate setters. Government policy and funding should seek to establish proper mechanisms of finance and regulation that equally incentivizes both groups for grid modernization. I know it’s a feel good answer. But the physics answer is that the unstoppable force and the immovable object, unable to act upon each other, would just phase through each other with no effect. And we’re in a bad situation if that happens.
Coming up: defining success, the dangers of buying green, and my longboard project details!
