Monday, March 12, 2012

Grid Needs Tweakage to Maximize Renewable Energy

























There was an interesting feature on NPR this morning about the need for some adaptations to the power grid. It seems that the unpredictable bursts of renewable energy dumped onto the grid by installations like mine could be handled more efficiently.

So what happens when you add in unpredictable sources of electricity, like wind or solar power?

"The operator does not have control of when to turn it on and off," Moniz says. "It's a new challenge that we just have to meet, and we're not doing it at anything like the pace that I think we need."

That's the conclusion of a study that Moniz's group at MIT is issuing Monday. It's all about how the grid must change to handle the fickle flow of electrons from renewable energy.


Power Grid Must Adapt to Handle Renewable Energy