Keeping Up With Emerging Technologies

In developing a regional power plan, the Council evaluates resources, including energy efficiency, based on their reliability, availability, development potential, capital and operating costs, and environmental effects, to name just a few important attributes. Resources that are well established--natural gas, wind, and solar, for example--are assessed in detail and treated as concrete options in the Council's resource portfolio model.

But for those generating and energy efficiency technologies that are promising, but not yet available commercially, the Council will estimate their future costs and potential in the region within the next 10-20 years. Because the cost and performance of these resources is more speculative, they won't be modeled in its resource portfolio model.

For example, widespread use of large-scale, low-cost storage technologies that aren't available today will likely be needed to complement wind and solar generation in potential low or no carbon future scenarios. For energy efficiency, emerging technologies such as heat pumps for water and space heating that use carbon dioxide as a refrigerant are being considered. These systems can be two to three times more efficient than today's heat pumps, but are just now being introduced into the U.S. market.

Upcoming webinar on generating resources.

More information on energy efficiency issues for the power plan.