22 February 2017 – CEDM/CEIC Seminar – Christopher Clack
Date: 22 February 2017
Time: 12:30pm
Location: Baker 129 Conference Room
Speaker: Christopher Clack
Topic: The WIS:dom Optimization Model And Atmospheric Science To Inform Future Energy Pathways
Abstract:
The WIS:dom Optimization Model is the flagship software product from Vibrant Clean Energy, LLC. WIS:dom was built from the ground up to model weather-driven renewables within the electricity grid with high resolution over long time periods. The present talk will discuss WIS:dom and the studies that have been performed with it so far. We will also demonstrate the flexibility of WIS:dom and possibilities of further research. We will also delve into the seasonal and inter-annual variability of wind and solar power, along with the diurnal signal and the benefits / impacts of using long-term datasets with high frequency outputs.
Results in the presentation will include a possible national US HVDC overlay that could enable the US to reduce emissions by 80% by 2030 (from the electric sector) at costs that are lower than today. The results are without incentives or policies incentivizing renewables. Further, it is shown that with incentives that exist today, if they were to continue to 2030, a national HVDC system would enable 80% reduction of GHG emissions at current natural gas fuel costs. It is also shown that electric storage can be beneficial to reducing GHGs, and the benefits are enhanced by an HVDC transmission system. Incorporated in the results are outputs from WIS:dom on the future energy system design, such as: full time employment, tax revenues for states, water consumption, installed capacities and pollution. Finally, it is shown that longer term datasets can help our understanding of the processes that drive renewables and the impact of shorter term datasets can have on the result.
