ASSIGNMENT

On the following pages are figures showing daily power generation by source over a year for Texas, California and New England (Figs 1-3), followed by figures showing hourly electricity generation by source for the same three regions for a typical summer week (Figs 4-6). The last three figures show wholesale prices for electricity over these summer weeks (Figs 7-9).

Assignment:

Please study these data carefully and write a brief report (a few hundred words or less) on what you learned from this exercise. Do you think that the objective of replacing fossil fuel sources by low carbon alternatives will be more or less challenging than you thought before studying these data? Explain your reasoning and potential challenges. Be sure to comment separately on the three regions in your response.

You may discuss your ideas with others, but your written response should be your own. [30 points total]

Some questions to guide your thinking:

· Compare the sources between the different regions.

· What patterns do you see for each source? How do these vary across regions?

· What causes variations over time?

· On the shorter time scales, what is the relationship between the highs and lows of key sources?

· Can you guess the reason for spikes in wholesale prices? (Be sure to notice the vertical scales.)

Figure 1. Texas (TEX) region daily electricity generation 1/1/2020 – 12/31/2020.

Figure 2. California (CAL) region daily electricity generation 1/1/2020 – 12/31/2020.

Figure 3. New England (NE) region daily electricity generation 1/1/2020 – 12/31/2020.

Figure 4. TEX region hourly electricity generation 8/10/2020 – 8/16/2020.

Figure 5. CAL region hourly electricity generation 8/10/2020 – 8/16/2020.

Figure 6. NE region hourly electricity generation 8/10/2020 – 8/16/2020.

Figure 7. TEX region day ahead market (DAM) wholesale price 8/10/2020 – 8/16/2020.

Figure 8. CAL region DAM wholesale price 8/10/2020 – 8/16/2020.

Figure 9. NE region DAM wholesale price 8/10/2020 – 8/16/2020.

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