Factorial analysis for modeling large-scale grid integration of renewable energy sources

As more renewable power sources, such as wind, solar, and ocean wave, are added to the grid, there has been an increasing impact on the ability of system operators to deal with the added variability that these resources introduce. Since these types of sources are variable and non-dispatchable in nature, their continued integration has required that more and more generating resources be kept in reserve to account for unexpected power changes. While wind, solar, and ocean wave share similarities in their fundamental characteristics as renewable sources, their variability and subsequent impact on the grid can often differ greatly. In combination, however, it has been shown that positive synergistic effects are possible (e.g., in combination, reserve requirements can be reduced compared to single-resource scenarios). This paper utilizes the factorial design methodology to analyze the reserve requirement impacts of combining different resources to determine parameters for modeling various grid penetration scenarios. The results point to the possibility of determining an optimal mix of wind, solar, and ocean wave resources.