Dive Brief:
- Wind power has been successful in cutting electricity production costs and carbon dioxide pollution, a study from the PJM Interconnection has concluded. The study was conducted by GE Energy Consulting for the grid operator in 13 Mid-Atlantic and Midwest states.
- It found that getting 20% of PJM's electricity from wind slashes the price of producing power by $9 billion annually and 30% wind cuts production costs by $13 billion.
- The study found that obtaining 30% of electricity from renewable energy would cause no reliability problems, noting that “all the simulations of challenging days revealed successful operation of the PJM real-time market."
Dive Insight:
The study found PJM can rely on wind as part of the region's power mix as it backs out fossil-fueled generation.