HEADLINE: “Open Letter to EIA Environment”, By Gene Nelson, Ph.D
Your page "Renewable energy explained - Portfolio standards" last revised on July 30, 2024 is misleading. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/renewable-sources/portfolio-standards.php
Open Letter to EIA Environment
Your page "Renewable energy explained - Portfolio standards" last revised on July 30, 2024 is misleading. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/renewable-sources/portfolio-standards.php
The total system costs for solar and wind generation, with their substantial intermittencies are not included in the analysis. The "must take" provisions of RPS standards place these intermittent sources at the favored position in the supply stack. Natural gas typically fills in for the times the sun is not shining (e.g. night) or the wind is not blowing sufficiently hard. Natural gas is dispatched intermittently and inefficiently under RPS standards.
Natural gas consumption data and emissions performance data both demonstrate there is very little environmental benefit to locations with RPS standards relative to those without. However, electricity prices tend to be higher in locations with RPS standards like California. This is because there must be two generation systems operating in parallel with an expensive bureaucracy (The ISO, RTO, or RO.)Some details are found in this article, "Turns out wind and solar have a secret friend: Natural gas," by Chris Mooney, August 11, 2016, The Washington Post, http://tinyurl.com/Natural-Gas-Secret which serves as an introduction to:
"Bridging the gap: Do fast-reacting fossil technologies facilitate renewable energy diffusion?"
by Elena Verdolini, Francesco Vonab, and David Popp, Energy Policy 116 (2018) 242–256,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2018.01.058
Lazard's LCOE+ metric makes similar points.
https://www.lazard.com/media/xemfey0k/lazards-lcoeplus-june-2024-_vf.pdf
CGNP respectfully requests that the page regarding renewable portfolio standards be revised to reflect these realities.
Sincerely,
Gene Nelson, Ph.D. CGNP Senior Legal Researcher and President
Californians for Green Nuclear Power, Inc. (CGNP)
1375 East Grand Ave Ste 103 #523
Arroyo Grande, CA 93420-2421
(805) 363 - 4697 cell
Government@CGNP.org email https://CGNP.org website https://greennuke.substack.com Substack