ANL Study Shows Wind Power Decreases Power Sector Output

This is an excerpt from the Second Quarter 2012 edition of the Wind Program R&D Newsletter.

A study recently published by the Energy Department's Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) examined the effects of introducing wind energy into the electric power system. After conducting a detailed analysis based on a comprehensive model of power system operations, ANL researchers found that as wind power penetration increases, the output of pollutants decreases overall due to the replacement of fossil fuels.

"Our study clearly shows that using wind to generate electricity has a discernible impact on pollution," said Audun Botterud, who led the research team.

The study analyzed the effects of start-up and cycling events as a result of increasing wind power use. Wind is variable and uncertain, which can lead fossil-fuel plant operators to adjust their output, start-up, or shut-down to accommodate wind inputs.

In the analysis, the researchers looked at power system operations and resulting output during both start-up and operational periods, considering the impacts of output control technologies. Using power grid data from 2006 as a starting point, a case study on the Illinois power system was performed to simulate the impact of different wind generation levels for a 4-month period. Total output from all power plants in the grid for seven pollutants were determined.

"Our analysis shows that greenhouse gases decrease with increasing wind power use, despite more start-ups and increased cycling of fossil-fuel power plants," said Botterud.