Global power grids for harnessing world renewable energy

peer reviewedThe Global Grid advocates the connection of all regional power systems into one electricity transmission system spanning the whole globe. Power systems are currently forming larger and larger interconnections. Environmental awareness and increased electricity consumption leads more investments towards renewable energy sources, abundant in remote locations (off-shore or in deserts). The Global Grid will facilitate the transmission of this “green” electricity to load centers, serving as backbone. This chapter elaborates on the concept presenting four stages that could gradually lead to the development of a globally interconnected power network. Quantitative analyses are carried out for all stages, demonstrating that a Global Grid is both technically feasible and economically competitive. Real price data from Europe and the USA are used to identify the potential of intercontinental electricity trade, showing that substantial profits can be generated through such interconnections

Characterization of demand response in the commercial, industrial, and residential sectors in the United States

The goal of this study is to provide an overview of demand response (DR) technologies, including standards and end uses, in the United States and describe resource characteristics and the attributes of 14 specific DR resources in the U.S. commercial, residential, and industrial sectors. The attributes reviewed for the end uses being considered are response frequency, response time, the need for and impacts of energy pre- or recharge, the cost of enabling a resource to respond to a load-curtailment signal, and the magnitude of load curtailment in a given resource. We also describe controls and communications technologies that can enable end uses to participate in DR programs. The characterization was initially developed as a foundational work to quantify hourly availability of DR resources from the selected end uses followed by a multi-laboratory effort that quantified DR's value within the Western Interconnection .

Global Power Grids for Harnessing World Renewable Energy

peer reviewedThe Global Grid advocates the connection of all regional power systems into one electricity transmission system spanning the whole globe. Power systems are currently forming larger and larger interconnections. Environmental awareness and increased electricity consumption leads more investments toward renewable energy sources, which are abundant in remote locations (offshore or in deserts). The Global Grid will facilitate the transmission of this "green" electricity to load centers, serving as backbone. This chapter elaborates on the concept of the Global Grid, presenting four stages that could gradually lead to the development of a globally interconnected power network. Quantitative analyses are carried out for all stages, demonstrating that a Global Grid is both technically feasible and economically competitive. Real price data from Europe and the USA are used to identify the potential of intercontinental electricity trade, showing that substantial profits can be generated through such interconnections. © 2017 Lawrence E. Jones Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved