RAMPING UP RENEWABLES

The report examines the growth of wind and solar power in the U.S. and globally, asserting that the technical challenges of variable energy sources are manageable. It highlights successful integration by utilities like Xcel Energy and countries like Denmark and Germany. The document details various tools for maintaining reliability—including geographic dispersion, improved forecasting, transmission upgrades, and energy storage—and cites studies suggesting that renewables could provide 80% of U.S. electricity by 2050.

• Wind and solar power have seen rapid growth in the U.S., with wind capacity more than tripling from 2007 to 2012 and solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity expanding by a factor of five from 2009 to 2012.
• Several U.S. states and regions have achieved high levels of wind energy integration; in 2012, wind provided 24 percent of electricity in Iowa and South Dakota, and Texas led the nation in installed capacity with over 12,200 MW.
• Renewable energy can enhance grid reliability by diversifying the energy portfolio and being more resilient to extreme weather than conventional plants, as seen during a February 2011 Texas cold snap where wind facilities continued operating while 152 other plants failed.
• Xcel Energy has successfully integrated high levels of wind power using a high-resolution forecasting system that is 35 percent more accurate than previous tools, saving ratepayers over $14 million.
• Various technical and operational tools are available to manage variable renewables, including geographic dispersion to smooth supply, sub-hourly scheduling, and diverse storage technologies such as pumped hydroelectric, thermal storage, compressed air, batteries, and hydrogen.
• Analysis by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) indicates that current renewable technologies could supply 80 percent of U.S. electricity by 2050 while meeting demand every hour of the year in every region.
• Global leaders in renewables include Denmark, where wind provided nearly one-third of electricity in 2012, and Germany, where wind and solar reached a record 60 percent of total electricity use on May 8, 2012.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2013). RAMPING UP RENEWABLES. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Ramping-Up-Renewables-Energy-You-Can-Count-On.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. RAMPING UP RENEWABLES. 2013. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Ramping-Up-Renewables-Energy-You-Can-Count-On.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=RAMPING UP RENEWABLES |date=April 2013 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Ramping-Up-Renewables-Energy-You-Can-Count-On.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2013ramping, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{RAMPING UP RENEWABLES}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2013}, month = apr, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Ramping-Up-Renewables-Energy-You-Can-Count-On.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }