The utilities
industry is
morphing from
a provider
of one-way
dispatched
power to the
far more
complex
function of
systems
integrator—
and it requires
a whole new
business model. by Ken Stier
WHEN THINKING ABOUT future challenges for the utility industry, one telling starting point is the duck curve. That’s the timing imbalance between real-time electricity demand and variable renewable energy pro- duction that Californian utilities must manage over the course of a typical day—with the net load curve shaped like a silhouetted duck. The first ramp-up (the duck’s tail) begins before sunrise as people get up and start their daily routines. As the sun comes up, extensive solar pro- duction (family rooftop and utility- scale arrays) kicks in and surges through mid-day, creating the duck’s bottomed-out belly. But as the sun sets, solar production tapers off, just as early evening demand begins to mount, forcing utilities to bring on an additional 13,000MW, all within approximately three hours, to accom- modate peak evening demand. To accomplish this—all the while ensuring supply and demand match at all times—requires substantial ramping flexibility and the ability to
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