Energy Minister Rick Perry ordered his department to conduct a study on whether the current shift to renewable energy would affect the reliability of the grid.
Some experts, clean.
Energy advocates and politicians on both sides of the aisle believe that the aim of the study is to favor the coal and nuclear industries, which have been struggling in recent years.
As journalists prepare to report on the study, which is expected to be released this month, there are a number of key factors to consider: perry makes grid research generally considered to be aimed at advancing the coal industry on April 14, Peti a memorandum, s. Department of Energy (DOE)
60-
"Day study on key issues to explore the protection of long-term interests"
Long-term reliability of the grid.
The study aims to assess "the impact of certain policies on energy security and reliability and potential risks," the memorandum said ".
Although Perry's memorandum does not mention the name of wind, solar or renewable energy, it is generally believed that it refers to policies that support the development of renewable energy.
Bloomberg explained this: as the Los Angeles Times reviewer, Jacques Leslie, said in April, "Perry has decided what the study should find: its purpose is to support the pro-Trump administration.
Fossil fuel policy
Chris Tomlinson, a business columnist for the Houston Chronicle, recently described the upcoming study as "clearly a fait accompli, and Perry ordered himself to review the grid to come to conclusions appropriate to the government.
"Perry is looking for excuses to overthrow the competitive power market and force utilities to buy electricity from coal and nuclear power plants," explains Tomlinson.
"Perry's comments in the United States in June gave critics more ammunition. S.
Hill reported the annual meeting of the Energy Information Administration.
In discussing the study, he said that "political-driven policies driven primarily by hostility to coal" threaten "the reliability and stability of the world's largest power grid ".
Hill also reported that Perry said at the meeting that he "did not intend to give priority to renewable energy, and he accused the Obama administration of doing so . ".
Perry said, "I recognize that the market has played a role in the evolution of our energy structure.
But no reasonable person can deny the thumb, or even the whole hand, if you want, has been put on a scale that favors certain political outcomes.
"In addition to the long-term record of fossils --
Despite overwhelming scientific consensus, Perry denied that climate change was caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
Perry reiterated this denial on CNBC's "Squawk Box" in June 19, blaming climate change on "the marine waters and the environment in which we live" rather than the carbon dioxide emitted by human activity.
Team leader of Koch's research
Funded groups and showing bias towards renewable energy, Perry chose Travis Fisher to lead the study, a political appointee who served as senior at the Department of Energy's Office of Power Delivery and Energy Reliability
Fisher has a record of doubts about clean energy and a preference for fossil fuels, documented by the Energy and Policy Institute, a non-profit watchdog.
Prior to joining the Trump administration, Fisher worked as an economist at the Energy Institute and the US Energy Alliance, a group run by former Koch industrial lobbyists, who received $3 million in donations from Koch
Organization funded in 2015.
In 2015, the Energy Research Institute also received $50,000 from coal company pibodi energy and was funded by Exxon petroleum and the American Petroleum Institute.
Working at the Energy Research Institute in 2015, Fisher wrote a report arguing that wind and solar power threaten the reliability of the grid: despite these warnings, fisher's 2015 report did not mention any examples of clean energy policies that led to power outages.
Fisher also wrote a piece.
In 2014, he saw wind energy and solar energy as "unreliable sources of electricity" and the policies that pushed them "undermined our power systems ".
"Fisher is not the only one with a biased background.
Perry's memo asking for the study was written to his chief of staff, Brian McCormack, who until recently worked at the Edison Electric Power Academy, a rival to major trading groups and networks in the electricity industry
Measures to encourage solar power generation on roofs.
During the European Economic Area, McCormack played a key role in combating policies to promote renewable energy.
Republican and Democratic politicians have warned that the study could be biased and that there is a lack of credible coal groups to support the review;
The clean energy industry group is skeptical about trade groups in the industry and seems to think that the study may be biased towards coal, as reflected by the coal lobby's support for the investigation and the Clean Energy Group's questions about how the investigation was conducted.
Renewable energy is not reported to be the culprit in the collapse of coal and nuclear power plants, and experts have called on the study to investigate whether renewable energy could threaten such energy.
It is called the "Kihe" power plant.
Wind and solar power are intermittent or variable and flow into the grid when the wind and sunlight hit, not 24/7.
Perry expressed concern that government policies encouraging the development of renewable energy led to the closure of the base-load plant that produces electricity around the clock, most of which are driven by coal and nuclear energy.
Perry wrote in his memo, "federal subsidies add a form of energy at the expense of others. . .
"This means that subsidies for wind and solar energy are hurting the coal and nuclear industry, which poses serious and long-term problems in maintaining sufficient base-load power generation . ".
But in fact, as many experts have pointed out, cheap natural gas is the main factor driving the shutdown of coal and nuclear power plants, not solar and wind energy.
Utilities and Power Grid experts say the grid can integrate more renewable energy and therefore be safer. It has been found that in the process of 2016, the grid can absorb more clean energy and improve reliability. renewable energy provides 15% of the United States. S.
According to the Energy Information Administration.
Nearly 6% come from wind energy and about 1% from solar energy.
Many studies have concluded that the grid can handle a fairly high percentage.
In fact, the early draft of a study commissioned by Perry came to the conclusion that the grid is now more reliable than in the past, although it is dealing with more wind and solar energy.
According to Bloomberg, a draft written by the Energy Department's professional staff concluded, "the power system is more reliable today due to better planning, market discipline and better operating rules and standards.
"But the draft report is currently being reviewed by department leaders and is expected to vary when it is officially released.
"These written statements are not in the current draft," a DOE spokesman told Bloomberg . ".
Previous studies draw similar conclusions to those of Doe professionals: the solar industry association summarizes some of these studies: Climate relations have collected other studies with similar findings.
Power grid operators have technology and knowledge
How to improve reliability while adding more renewable energy experts point out a number of strategies and technologies that can be used to handle more and more clean energy.
The Washington Post points out a few of them: Mike Jacobs, a senior energy analyst at the relevant league of scientists, listed in a blog post more ways grid operators can use: "coordinate simple upgrades such as demand response, electric vehicle charging, and thermostats and efficient lighting to reduce power grid pressure and increase reliability directly and immediately.
The utility industry has great potential to improve this interaction with consumers and games.
The possibility of battery energy storage is constantly changing.
"The non-profit Climate relationship outlines some additional strategies: the climate relationship also states that" the challenge posed by renewable energy to the State Grid is insignificant compared to the larger systemic problems of infrastructure aging, susceptible to weather
And excessive reliance on fossil fuels.
The organization noted that more renewable energy sources will be included in the United States. S.
Power systems also offer many other benefits, including human health protection, job growth, electricity cost savings and a more stable climate.