Printable Version
Renewable Electricity Futures Study
RE Futures Visualizations
These visualizations are based on RE Futures modeling and represent the transformation of the U.S. electric system to a high renewable system from 2010 to 2050 and the hourly operation and transmission flow of that system in 2050.
Transformation of the Electric Sector
(Compare to Baseline Projections)
Hourly Operation in 2050
(Compare to Baseline Projections)
Power Flow in 2050
(Compare to Baseline Projections)
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Renewable Electricity Futures Study (RE Futures) is an initial investigation of the extent to which renewable energy supply can meet the electricity demands of the continental United States over the next several decades. This study explores the implications and challenges of very high renewable electricity generation levels—from 30% up to 90%, focusing on 80%, of all U.S. electricity generation—in 2050. At such high levels of renewable electricity generation, the unique characteristics of some renewable resources, specifically geographical distribution and variability and uncertainty in output, pose challenges to the operability of the nation's electric system.
Key Findings
- Renewable electricity generation from technologies that are commercially available today, in combination with a more flexible electric system, is more than adequate to supply 80% of total U.S. electricity generation in 2050 while meeting electricity demand on an hourly basis in every region of the country.
- Increased electric system flexibility, needed to enable electricity supply and demand balance with high levels of renewable generation, can come from a portfolio of supply- and demand-side options, including flexible conventional generation, grid storage, new transmission, more responsive loads, and changes in power system operations.
- The abundance and diversity of U.S. renewable energy resources can support multiple combinations of renewable technologies that result in deep reductions in electric sector greenhouse gas emissions and water use.
- The direct incremental cost associated with high renewable generation is comparable to published cost estimates of other clean energy scenarios. Improvement in the cost and performance of renewable technologies is the most impactful lever for reducing this incremental cost.
RE Futures provides initial answers to important questions about the integration of high penetrations of renewable electricity technologies from a national perspective, focusing on key technical implications. The study explores electricity grid integration using models with unprecedented geographic and time resolution for the contiguous United States to assess whether the U.S. power system can supply electricity to meet customer demand on an hourly basis with high levels of renewable electricity, including variable wind and solar generation.
RE Futures, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, is a collaboration with more than 110 contributors from 35 organizations including national laboratories, industry, universities, and non-governmental organizations.
As the most comprehensive analysis of high-penetration renewable electricity of the continental United States to date, the study can inform broader discussion of the evolution of the electric system and electricity markets toward clean systems. RE Futures results indicate that renewable generation could play a more significant role in the U.S. electricity system than previously thought and that further work is warranted to investigate this clean generation pathway.
Renewable Electricity Futures Report
- Executive Summary
- Volume 1: Exploration of High-Penetration Renewable Electricity Futures (includes Executive Summary)
- Volume 2: Renewable Electricity Generation and Storage Technologies
- Volume 3: End-Use Electricity Demand
- Volume 4: Bulk Electric Power Systems: Operations and Transmission Planning
Modeling and Cost Data
- Energy models used in the study:
- Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS)
- Technology cost and performance assumptions used in scenario analysis:
- Black & Veatch report on Cost and Performance Data for Power Generation Technologies – documents assumptions used for baseline and incremental technology improvement scenarios
- Transparent Cost Database/Open Energy Information – includes cost (capital and operating) and capacity factor assumptions for renewable generation technologies used for baseline, incremental technology improvement, and evolutionary technology improvement scenarios, along with other published and DOE program estimates for these technologies
- Scenario results:
- Renewable Electricity Futures Scenario Viewer
- RE Futures Volume 1 figure data
- Geographical Distribution of Renewable Technology Capacity in 2050
- Demands calculation:
- High demand baseline
- Low demand baseline
RE Futures in the News
- National Public Radio's All Things Considered
- Slashing Fossil Fuel Consumption Comes With A Price (December 2, 2013)
- Wall Street Journal
- Six Myths About Renewable Energy: The impact on jobs and other assumptions that don't hold up anymore (September 22, 2013)
- Windpower Engineering & Development
- Report explores renewable electricity futures (August 21, 2012)
- The Union of Concerned Scientists
- U.S. Renewable Electricity Future Is Within Reach (August 8, 2012)
- Earth Techling
- The Way Forward for Renewable Energy Policy In The US (July 30, 2012)
- Worldwatch Institute
- The Way Forward for Renewable Energy Policy in the U.S. (July 26, 2012)
- Denver Post
- Renewable Energy Could Provide 80% of U.S. Electricity - But at What Cost (July 9, 2012)
- Clean Technica
- 80% Clean, Renewable Energy by 2050: More Than Possible, But Need More Political Will (& Public Demand) (July 2, 2012)
- Care 2 Make a Difference
- Thinking Big: 80 Percent Renewables is Possible by 2050 (June 29, 2012)
- EnergyDigital
- Renewables Could Supply 80% U.S. Electricity (June 23, 2013)
Printable Version