Comments Off on Power Outage Rapid Response Toolkit
Interruptions in electricity supply – ‘the lights going out’ – make for arresting headlines and capture public attention. Yet it is strikingly rare for any kind of electricity generation shortfall to trigger blackouts: major reliability events are nearly always the result of grid failure incidents such as wires frying or being damaged by trees.
Furthermore, none of the recent events that have occurred in markets with high shares of renewables have been caused by over-reliance on renewables to provide sufficient electricity supplies. In spite of this, the fossil energy industry has a track record of seizing on any opportunity to promote the narrative that more fossil generation is needed and that the growing shift to renewables is undermining and driving up the cost of secure supplies.
To dispel many of the myths surrounding the causes of recent significant power outages, the toolkit looks at four case studies: Texas 2021, California 2020, Great Britain 2019 and South Australia 2016.
These case studies prove it is important that advocates for a clean energy transition can set the record straight quickly, credibly and substantively. This package equips advocates with information and tools to respond quickly to the misinformation that spreads rapidly in the wake of power grid reliability events, and in particular:
introduces the advocate to reliability events, and their causes and consequences;
provides a checklist for advocates to understand and analyse emerging reliability events (a separate, interactive checklist can be downloaded here: Power Grid Rapid Response Checklist);
provides holding lines for advocates during the information vacuum that normally proceeds a reliability event;
explains why large-scale reliability events are almost always caused by network failures and not renewable electricity generation.
Comments Off on Five key actions for activating household demand-side flexibility
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Securing a clean, efficient and affordable power system is a complex undertaking in the best of times. The current energy crisis, however, has compounded the challenge with a cost-of-living crisis, the need to free Europe from its dependency on Russian fossil gas, and the ever-present spectre of climate change. A seemingly insurmountable task begs all available resources. One of the most powerful — and often undervalued — solutions is household demand-side flexibility.
Empowering and rewarding consumers who are able to shift how and when they use electricity is a vital power system resource. Demand-side flexibility contributes to a reliable and decarbonised power system while reducing costs, a critical outcome for low-income and disadvantaged households.
Comments Off on Revitalising EU-Ukraine cross-border infrastructure for a secure, clean energy future
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is having a significant impact on the Ukrainian power sector. In recent years, the sector had started moving towards greater integration with the European Union and was making inroads into the shift to renewable energy sources.
The current situation is very challenging; not only is it slowing the nation’s energy transition, but it is also disrupting past achievements. Burgeoning renewable energy sources are being curtailed or shut down at unprecedented rates. This downturn results from the destructive effects of the war, coupled with inflexible generation sources.
One way to rectify this imbalance would be to maximise the current potential for interconnectivity between Ukraine and the EU. This, in turn, would allow the country to work towards three goals simultaneously. The increases in commercial energy flows can contribute to: increasing energy security, providing funds for continuing operation and reconstruction, and allowing for greater integration of renewables, thus achieving decarbonisation objectives faster.
While there are technical and legal requirements which must be fulfilled in order to expand Ukraine’s connectivity with the EU, decision-makers can maximise the value of the process by:
Implementing transparent, market-based instruments for cross-border capacity allocation.
Ensuring solutions benefit all customers and do not only serve individual vested interests.
Laying out a roadmap for long-term structural reform of the Ukrainian energy system. Ideally, it focuses on ensuring energy security and advancing European and Ukrainian decarbonisation goals.
Comments Off on A Strategic Clean Flexible Load Reserve
At a UC Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute meeting, Carl Linvill discussed flexible load as a grid resource and highlighted steps to build an effective strategic flexible load reserve.
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