IEEE Electrification - September 2020 - 80

represent the gateway for smart PV
management, which has opened
the door to maximum power tracking and a broader range of voltage
2,000
and reactive power control from a
1,500
46% Solar
dc resource. Inverters can take up
40-60% of investment costs in a
1,000
solar PV plant, which can be mostly
15%
Continued
declines
in
33% Wind
saved if a dc grid is utilized.
the capital costs for solar
38%
500
3% Geothermal and wind are supported
Small-scale distributed PV units
2%
37%
14% Hydroelectric by federal tax credits
are typically rooftop plug-and-play
7%
5% Other
0
and higher state-level
power plants for behind-the-meter
renewables targets.
2010
2020
2030
2040
2050
on-site generation. Also, concentrated solar power, another popular
Figure 1. U.S. renewable electricity generation including end use-generation capacity (source:
form of solar energy-harvesting
U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Annual Energy Outlook 2020").
technology, is escalating but at a
lower rate and much smaller
interim. According to experts, our planet's population will
capacity because it requires a large landscape and is conreach 9.3 billion in the next four decades. A fundamental
sidered an expensive technology. Altogether, solar power
and granular outlook on global energy systems (prior to
has observed an average annual growth rate of 48% in the
the COVID-19 outbreak) predicted that electricity conlast decade. In the United States, there are nearly 78 GW of
sumption will double by 2050, with electrified transportainstalled solar capacity, enough to power 14.5 million
tion and higher living standards in buildings being among
homes. Figure 2 depicts the projected costs of renewable
the principal components of this increase.
energy and natural gas power plants.
At the same time, issues like environmental mandates,
The solar and wind energy capacities are presently
the solar Investment Tax Credit, extensive public enthusicost-competitive with fossil-fueled conventional power
asm about demand response and energy conservation,
plants. However, their associated manufacturing and
advancements in photovoltaic (PV) cell manufacturing
installation costs, especially those of solar units, continand inverter technology, and declining PV cell prices have
ue to plummet. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was
spurred the proliferation of renewable energy around the
predicted that the renewable energy (solar, wind, and
world. As reported by the U.S. Energy Information Adminhydro) portion of the total power generation would grow
istration (Figure 1), there is remarkable growth in the utiliat an accelerated pace of roughly 25% today, to 50% by
zation of solar PV energy among renewable energy
2035, and 75% by 2050. Although 2020 was previously
forecasted by the International Energy Agency to be a re--
technologies. PV cells produce dc electricity from sunlight,
cord year for renewable energy installation, the COVID-19
which can be used directly by dc load devices, stored in
outbreak adversely affected the respective projects in
batteries, or supply ac loads via inverters. Inverters
various dimensions: manufacturing and supply chains
were disrupted because of facility closures, inducing significant delays in project completions; environmental
1,400
pressures on air-polluting industries were temporarily
Natural Gas Combined Cycle
lifted because of lower peak demand; and the related
Solar PV
1,200
Wind
socioeconomic crises limited the anticipated invest1,000
ments in renewable energy technologies. However,
COVID-19 will not bring an end to the existing environ800
mental concerns and the merits of clean energy and
renewable energy technology. Even though manufactur600
ing and installation processes could be delayed, renewable energy development projects are expected to bounce
400
back within a short time span.
Most of the growth in
renewable electricity
generation is from
solar and wind.

2019 US$/kW

Billion kWh

2,500

200

Challenges of Renewable Energy Proliferation

0
2019

2050

Figure 2. Projected costs of construction and operation of renewable
energy and natural gas power plants (source: U.S. Energy Information
Administration, "Annual Energy Outlook 2020").

I E E E E l e c t r i f i cati o n M agaz ine / SEPTEMBER 2020

The immense integration of renewable energy resources is
often driven by environmental and economic factors rather than the technical requirements of electric power systems. Power system planners tend to tackle the
expansion-planning problem and real-time operation

IEEE Electrification - September 2020

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