Meeting Renewable Energy Targets in the West at Least Cost: The Integration Challenge

This report to the U.S. Western Governors' Association explores ways to reduce costs to the region’s electricity consumers for integrating wind and solar resources; identifies barriers to adopting these measures; and recommends possible state actions to overcome these challenges. Drawing from existing studies and experience to date, the report describes how the Western United States can harness flexibility in grid operations, loads, and generating plants to complement wind and solar generation through several market, technology, and planning initiatives. Although only directly applicable to the North American context, many of the issues raised in the report are the same as those that influence the addition of high levels of variable renewable electricity into the grid systems of other countries.