Future of renewable energy development & deployment

Three major factors are driving expected changes in the electric industry and in the growth of renewable generation. The first is Government policies responding to climate change and mandating reductions in CO₂ emissions. Another factor is rapidly developing economies in many parts of the world that bring competition for global energy markets with all the industrialized nations. And, the third factor is concern about energy security-due to conflict, natural disaster, infrastructure and other constraints. Together, these factors highlight the risks associated with dependence on finite fuel sources and the benefits of renewable resources for reducing economic vulnerability, supplying localized needs, and increasing energy independence. This panel presentation will provide an update on renewable energy technology development and deployment. It will also discuss the role of renewable energy as a future generation option as well as the challenges of integrating variable and distributed generation.