Smart Grids and Renewable Energy Integration: Challenges and Solutions

Abstract

The chapter explores that fossil fuels are the dominant energy source in the United States, providing over four-fifths of all primary energy consumed. However, it is also said that the renewable energy resources are abundant, and when harnessed can contribute significantly to the satisfaction of U.S. heat and power demands. Renewable energy technologies have advanced significantly and have achieved ever greater levels of deployment, both by utilities and by individual consumers over the past several decades. The chapter also deals with wind turbines that presently produce electricity at costs competitive with other, fossil-fuel-based generators, leading annual capacity additions of wind power to be among the highest in the electric power sector. Besides this, the solar technologies can now efficiently utilize sunlight to provide both heat and electricity. The photovoltaic and thermal systems have become popular modes of distributed energy provision. Marine energy resources are vast, but the technologies to exploit them are still immature. © 2010 Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.