At the request of Duke Energy Carolinas, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory recently completed an analysis of the potential costs and benefits of having solar PV capacity equal to 20% of its generation in a 10-year period. Duke’s sponsorship ensured its full cooperation, access to all necessary data and staff, and use of the same modeling tools it uses for distribution, transmission, and IRP. Consequently this is one of the best and most comprehensive studies of high solar penetration rates to date. The results support both utility and solar industry claims of costs and benefits, and present challenging choices for North Carolina regulators. At the same time, these results are unique to Duke Energy Carolinas’ specific circumstances – a fact that emphasizes the local nature of this type of analysis.

Speakers:
Mike Warwick, Sr. Staff Engineer, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
 

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