Listed below are all documents and RMI.org site pages related to this topic.
Electricity 31 Items
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-CO2_emissions_from_US_electric_sector
Rocky Mountain Institute’s four scenarios for the future U.S. electricity system (
detailed here ) all have markedly different projected CO2 emissions over the next 40 years.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-variable_renewable_output
The dynamic nature of variable renewable resources presents challenges to conventional electricity system operations. Production from wind and solar resources, in particular, is both variable (fluctuating throughout the day according to availability of the “fuel”) and uncertain (weather forecasting is required and by definition is not always accurate).
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-technology_capital_cost_projections
In evaluating the future U.S. electricity system, Rocky Mountain Institute created capital cost projections for fossil and renewable generation technologies through 2050. Many newer technologies, such as concentrated solar power, solar photovoltaics, and battery storage, are projected to have rapidly declining capital costs in the next 40 years.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-2050_generation_by_case
Each of Rocky Mountain Institute’s four scenarios for the future U.S. electricity system (
detailed here) will have a very different electricity generation mix.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-US_electricity_demand
While U.S. demand for electricity has risen in all but four years since 1949, the rate of increase has been steadily trending down. The Energy Information Administration predicts an annual growth rate around +1% to 2030 (which RMI extrapolates to 2050). Successfully implementing the energy efficiency improvements in buildings and industry discussed in
Reinventing Fire could reduce this to a steady –1%.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-Strategies_reduce_cost_groundmounted_PV
The solar photovoltaics industry has seen remarkable cost reductions over the past 35 years. PV module prices have declined so much that today
non-module costs are the majority of total installed cost for utility-scale PV projects. These “balance of system” costs are primed for major reduction through smarter and smaller power electronics, streamlined installation technologies and processes, and project development approaches that leverage low-risk capital and better customer education.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-cost_savings_from_running_CHP
Buildings or industrial facilities that operate combined heat and power (CHP) generators purchase a fuel (typically natural gas) and use it to generate electricity onsite, capturing the waste heat for the facility’s heating demands. Whether or not the operator can generate electricity cheaper than they can buy it is dependent on the current costs of fuel and electricity as well as the efficiency of their unit, and is quantified by the spark spread.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-new_transmission_required
Rocky Mountain Institute’s four scenarios for the future U.S. electricity system (
detailed here ) all have very different requirements for an expanded transmission infrastructure.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-load_duration_curve
A load-duration curve is a useful tool for comparing the impacts of different renewable portfolios on the grid. In this Rocky Mountain Institute analysis of renewable adoption on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid, a generation mix of 25% solar and 15% wind yields the flattest load-duration curve over the year.
http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-frequency_duration_net_loads
Different renewable portfolio compositions place differing demands on the generation and storage resources of the grid. In hours when variable renewable supply is not enough to meet the full load, the remaining demand must be met with dispatchable generators. When variable renewable supply exceeds the full load, the excess renewable supply must be stored or curtailed. The frequency of over or under-supply is highly dependent on the amount and mix of variable renewables on a given system.