Unforeseen Consequences of Dedicated Renewable Energy Transmission: Potential Implications For Renewable Electricity Development

摘要

It is generally recognized that significant growth in renewable electricity generation will require major expansion of electricity transmission grids. In the U.S., this could require the building of an additional 20,000 miles of transmission over the next decade - double what is currently planned. To facilitate this, government policy-makers are planning to build "green" transmission lines that would be restricted to electricity generated by renewable sources, primarily wind and solar. However, state and local jurisdictions are resisting siting of such transmission unless it serves local constituents and existing power plants. If such transmission is built and local access is allowed, then the major beneficiaries of the added transmission may be existing power generation facilities, especially coal-fired plants. Many of these facilities have very low electricity generating costs and their capacity factors are transmission-constrained. Their access to added transmission lines could enable them to sell electric power at rates against which wind and solar electricity-generated power cannot compete.