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Western US deals with reliability issue possibilities with renewables

FILE—Solar panels sit on rooftops at a housing development in Folsom, Calif., Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020. California regulators on Thursday, Nov 10, 2022 proposed changes to the state's residential solar market aimed at encouraging more at-home battery systems that can help the electrical grid rely less on fossil fuels in the evenings, especially during heat waves. The state has the nation's largest rooftop solar market with panels on about 1.5 million nomes, according to the California Public Utilities Commission. . (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
by: WRTV Staff
Posted: / Updated:

A group based in the western U.S. said that the growing use of renewable energy will require more effort to maintain reliability.

The group said it will require the western region to increase planning in the coming years, Reuters reported.

The Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) said in the assessment on reliability that planning reserve margins for next year increased. The assessment also said they went from 16.9% in 2021 to 18.3% in 2022.

There is a need to keep a higher priority on grid reliability, according to experts.

WECC said, “If nothing is done to mitigate the long-term risks within the Western Interconnection, by 2025 we anticipate severe risks to the reliability and security of the interconnection.”

Experts credit the issue to resources like solar and wind, which only produce power in certain conditions, like when sun shines or wind blows.

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