Total U.S. generation capacity in interconnection queues approximately quadrupled between 2010 and 2022, and utility-scale solar developers now identify grid interconnection as the leading cause of project cancellations. Meanwhile, the median time duration from interconnection request to agreement increased by approximately 75% from 2015 to 2022, interconnection costs have grown substantially over time in all studied regions, and available transmission capacity is shrinking.
Our research aims to increase the interconnection rate for transmission-scale renewable electricity generators significantly. This can be accomplished with a framework for an expedited energy-only interconnection screening study method. We aim to demonstrate a proof of concept for such an alternate “fast track” study to accelerate interconnection without compromising system reliability.
Substantially reducing the average network upgrade cost, study timeline, and in-service timeline required for energy-only interconnection can yield a gigawatt-scale impact on the U.S. electricity grid. With 1,250 GW of solar and wind projects in interconnection queues at the end of 2022, a method to interconnect 1.0% of this capacity annually that would not otherwise occur would accelerate 125 gigawatts of renewable generation capacity onto the grid over a decade. Expedited study options are part of the solutions identified by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange draft interconnection roadmap (solutions 2.5 and 3.2).[1]
[1] https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-10/Draft%20i2X%20Transmission%20Roadmap.pdf