Comparing the Impacts of Different Spinning Reserve Targets in Electric Power Systems with Increased Penetration of Renewable Energy

Abstract

This paper explores the effects of different spinning reserve requirements for electric power systems and examines the DEC & DEP balancing authority in the Carolinas. A deterministic production cost model was used to simulate power system operations of a) 2019 electricity generation fleet and b) a theoretical decarbonized 2030 fleet. The model was run for the month of February for both cases and spinning reserve practices were evaluated through the lens of system cost, system reliability, and CO2 emissions. A 27% non-spinning reserve cap was chosen as the baseline for the analysis. Relative to the baseline, a 20% non-spinning reserve cap showed the greatest percent decrease in system costs for 2019, and maintained system reliability, while slightly increasing emissions. A 0% non-spinning reserve cap showed the greatest percent decrease in system costs for the theoretical 2030 simulation and improved reliability from the baseline, while maintaining the level of CO2 emissions.