Optimum penetration of regional utility-scale renewable energy systems

Optimum penetration of various renewable energy systems is a topic frequently studied by many researchers around the world. The primary purpose of this paper is to determine the optimum amount of combined solar and wind installed capacity for one of the Midwestern states in the United States. We utilized a renewable energy optimization matrix that identifies the hourly electrical load that can be provided by solar or wind energy systems. Two approaches are suggested in the determination of the optimal solar and wind combination. One approach is to specify a utilization rate and then optimize the amount of electric load that is met by the combination of solar and wind energy. The second approach is the inverse: specifying a specific portion of electric load to be met by a combined wind and solar system, and then optimizing the system to find the combination that will produce the lowest levels of curtailment. This framework may be valid when the goal is to find the optimum levels where long distance transmission of electricity from other states is limited. The suggested research framework may further incorporate energy storage options and cost analyses for a larger geographical area to evaluate real-world applications.