Wind on the Wires1 - Smart Grid (R) Evolution: Electric Power Struggles - page 160

dramatically refer to this type of system loss as the “death spiral” (Lacey 2013 ) , and predict
they could lose billions of dollars per year with increased renewables penetration.
Large-scale renewables have also been part of unexpected system changes. A major
struggle in Germany has emerged as coal consumption has increased in parallel with
renewable generation, in large part due to the simultaneous end of nuclear that is also an
aspect of the Energiewende . This has created a paradox of more carbon-free renewables
creating more carbon from the electric system. This highlights the challenges in predicting
multiple system shifts from the development of new technologies and smarter grids.
The three case studies we explored in this chapter demonstrate both the synergies
and tensions of wind power and smart grid development. In the United States, in both
Texas and the Upper Midwest, the combination of strong wind resources and favorable
state policies have resulted in wind becoming a critical part of the electricity system,
including its integration into electricity markets. Tensions include planning and paying for
new transmission lines. For Germany, even though wind and smart grid development are
embedded within the larger Energiewende , renewables development has challenged the
foundations of energy system planning and system operation.
Enabling large-scale renewable energy is one of the most prevalent promises of smart
grid, and together wind farms and a smarter grid are helping to create new electricity
systems. The stories of the coevolution of wind power and smart grid highlight how growth
in one technology can reshape an entire system. Wind and a smarter grid have also shifted
energy markets and power system rules; reordered the institutional priorities of utilities,
regulators, grid managers, and other established actors; shifted system politics; and created
opportunities for new entrants in the electricity sector. Technology to harness the wind has
played an important role in human history, from grinding grain in feudal food systems
to pumping water for settlements and train transportation in nineteenth-century North
America. Now wind power and smart grid are playing a critical role in a larger societal
transition to a more sophisticated and environmentally friendly electricity system.
References
Bird, L., M. Bolinger, T. Gagliano, R. Wiser, M. Brown, and B. Parsons. (2005) Policies
and Market Factors Driving Wind Power Development in the United States. Energy
Policy , 33, 1397-1407.
Boldis, Z. (2013) Czech Electricity Grid Challenged by German Wind. Europhysics News ,
44, 16-18.