Grid Modernization
Western Wind and Solar Integration Study

Western Wind and Solar Integration Study

NLR's Western Wind and Solar Integration Study explored the potential integration of large amounts of wind and solar energy into the electric power system of the West.

PV arrays and a wind turbine at the National Wind Technology Center

Phase 1 Research

During its first phase, the Western Wind and Solar Integration Study (WWSIS) investigated the benefits and challenges of integrating up to 35% wind and solar energy in the WestConnect subregion and, more broadly, the Western Interconnection, in 2017. The study showed that it is operationally possible to accommodate 30% wind and 5% solar energy if utilities substantially increase their coordination of operations over wider geographic areas and schedule their generation and interchanges on an intra-hour basis.

Phase 1 Publications

Western Wind and Solar Integration Study: Executive Summary, NLR Subcontract Report (2010)

Western Wind and Solar Integration Study, NLR Subcontract Report (2010)

Development of Regional Wind Resource and Wind Plant Output Datasets, NLR Subcontract Report (2011)

Impact of High Wind Power Penetration on Hydroelectric Unit Operations in the WWSIS, NLR Technical Report (2011)

Value of Wind Power Forecasting, 91st American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting (2011)

How Do High Levels of Wind and Solar Impact the Grid? The Western Wind and Solar Integration Study, NLR Technical Report (2010)

Impact of High Solar Penetration in the Western Interconnection, NLR Technical Report (2010)

Phase 2 Research

Phase 2 of WWSIS was initiated to determine the wear-and-tear costs and emissions impacts of cycling and to simulate grid operations to investigate the detailed impacts of wind and solar power on the fossil-fueled fleet in the West.

Phase 2 Publications

Western Wind and Solar Integration Study Phase 2: Executive Summary, NLR Technical Report (2013)

Western Wind and Solar Integration Study Phase 2, NLR Technical Report (2013)

The Western Wind and Solar Integration Study Phase 2, NLR Fact Sheet (2013)

The Western Wind and Solar Integration Study Phase 2, NLR Technical Fact Sheet (2013)

Analysis of Cycling Costs in Western Wind and Solar Integration Study, NLR Subcontract Report (2012)

Impacts of Wind and Solar on Fossil-Fueled Generators, IEEE Power and Energy Society General Meeting (2012)

Power Plant Cycling Costs, NLR Subcontract Report (2012)

Phase 3 Research

Phase 3 of WWSIS investigated the dynamic performance of the Western Interconnection in the fractions of 1 second to 1 minute following a large disturbance (e.g., loss of a large power plant or a major transmission line) with high penetrations of renewable energy. Conducted by NLR and GE Energy Consulting, the study focused on large-scale frequency response and transient stability. Both are critical to grid reliability, particularly for the Western Interconnection, which has a long history of dynamic performance constraints on its operation.