Transmission system build-out, batteries needed to achieve renewable goals

More than long-duration batteries are needed to achieve round-the-clock renewable power generation -- the transmission system will also need to be built out, panelists said during the Energy Trading Week Americas conference in Houston.

The increase in renewables resources has changed how the industry looks at data because with renewables the data is much more granular, panelists said during an Oct. 27 panel discussion on 24/7 renewables.

"With the newer technologies, we need to think very differently than traditional fuels," said Seenu Kaliamurthy, managing director of power solutions at Enuit. Traditional fuels data was looked at hourly, but that has changed with the sheer volume of data now available with renewable generation, which changes much more frequently, he added.

Now, cloud-based technology is used because it is able to store more data, and if you don't have the models and results in front of you in real time you're missing part of the picture, Kaliamurthy said.

"If you're talking about a true 24/7, you can't just use batteries," said Terry Embury, vice president and head of trading and market operations at AES Clean Energy. "You need a transmission system build out. It's not just batteries. It's also a transmission issue."

Transmission is also the most expensive part of the equation, Embury said, adding that picking a good location for renewables projects is important. Building near load centers cuts down on the need to build additional transmission to get resources to demand centers. Developing a renewable project in a "bad location" can lead to curtailments as well.

"Being close to demand centers is key," Kaliamurthy said.

Location, location, location

However, renewable resource availability differs by location.

Batteries are more feasible in Texas where there is a lot of sun during the day and batteries can charge the day to be available in the late afternoon and early evening to serve load before wind resources start generation at night, said Sean Dunderdale, business development analyst of gas and low carbon energy at BP.

"Right now, there's a lot of challenges in building renewables today," Dunderdale said, adding that permitting remains a challenge in building renewables.

In response to concerns that the construction of renewable facilities produce emissions, Caroline Gentry, senior director of Environmental Products at Anew Energy, said "there's always emissions involved in construction" whether it's renewable equipment and facilities or coal and gas plants, so renewable development does not produce more than what is current being produced.

When it comes to what, if any, role nuclear and geothermal will play in a 24/7 renewable world,

Brock Mosovsky, co-founder and vice presidents of analytics at cQuant.io, said those are important questions for the industry to answer as the energy transition moves forward.

"There's a lot of different ways," Dunderdale said. "It doesn't have to be one solution like wind or wind and solar."