Advanced Methods for Incorporating Solar Energy Technologies into Electric Sector Capacity-Expansion Models: Literature Review and Analysis

Patrick Sullivan, Kelly Eurek, Robert Margolis

Research output: NRELTechnical Report

Abstract

Because solar power is a rapidly growing component of the electricity system, robust representations of solar technologies should be included in capacity-expansion models. This is a challenge because modeling the electricity system--and, in particular, modeling solar integration within that system--is a complex endeavor. This report highlights the major challenges of incorporating solar technologies into capacity-expansion models and shows examples of how specific models address those challenges. These challenges include modeling non-dispatchable technologies, determining which solar technologies to model, choosing a spatial resolution, incorporating a solar resource assessment, and accounting for solar generation variability and uncertainty.
Original languageAmerican English
Number of pages50
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014

NREL Publication Number

  • NREL/TP-6A20-61185

Keywords

  • capacity expansion
  • electricity
  • literature review
  • model
  • solar

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