Maintaining electric power system performance: Preparing for the year 2020: Research needs

Abstract

The US electric power delivery system will undergo dramatic changes between now and the year 2020. Without an aggressive research and development (R D) program to develop and integrate new technologies, a substantial mismatch could develop between the system's performance and the public's expectations for a stable, reliable source of energy. This report provides a perspective on the future US electrical power delivery system and outlines the major issues for R D support that will be required to maintain the performance of the system successfully through the year 2020. To define the R D needs in the electric utility sector, the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Management under the Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Renewable Energy, in participation with the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), met with electric utility industry leaders in Denver, Colorado, on March 19 and 20, 1990. The major areas that require increased R D in order to meet the challenges of system needs by the year 2020 include the following: Effects of exposure to electric and magnetic fields (EMFs), real-time power system control, higher-capacity transmission options, high capacity power electronics, and energy storage. An electric energy delivery system that reliably supplies sufficient electric power at the lowest possible cost to meet the nation's needs is vital to the economic health of the US. In order to meet the challenges facing the national supply and delivery of electric power in the future, all parties concerned with the R D of supply and delivery technologies for electric energy must cooperate and must seek to leverage the limited funds available.