Time and again statements asserting that high penetrations of clean energy resources like energy efficiency and renewable energy could endanger electric system reliability have proven false. We refer to these assertions collectively as “playing the reliability card” against clean energy. In a webinar held on February 12, 2015, Carl Linvill helped participants identify when the reliability card is being played and provided tools to reveal whether the reliability claims are valid.

Dr. Linvill set the stage by sharing several examples where reliability claims proved false. Drawing on RAP’s Clean Energy Keeps the Lights On, he also reviews studies by respected technical experts, including GE Energy Consulting, Brattle Group, E3, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which found that renewable energy penetrations of 30 percent of total energy (or more in some places) can be accommodated without imposing any significant system reliability impacts. Dr. Linvill also suggests questions for ascertaining the validity of such claims.