DOCUMENT DETAIL

Project Background

Since its inception in the 1970s, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has operated a substantial program in th e

development and encouragement of renewable energy technologies. As part of its ongoing effort to document the status

and potential of these technologies, DOE, along with its national laboratories and support organizations, developed the

first set of Renewable Energy Technology Characterizations (TCs) in 1989. The TCs were designed to respond t o

DOE’s need for a set of consistent cost and performance data to support the development of the biennial Nationa l

Energy Policy Plans. That first set of TCs was subsequently used to support the analyses that were performed in 1991

by DOE for the National Energy Strategy. The TCs were updated in 1993, but until now had not been formall y

published and existed only in draft form.

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), operating on behalf of its member utilities, has conducted a progra m

in the assessment, evaluation and advancement of renewable power technologies since the mid-1970s. In that role ,

EPRI has been called upon by its members, and often by the energy community in general, to provide objectiv e

information on the status and outlook for renewables in prospective electric-power applications. Toward that aim ,

EPRI has joined with DOE to produce this set of Renewable Energy Technology Characterizations.

This joint project is one of a number of activities that DOE and EPRI are conducting under the joint DOE-EPR I

Sustainable Electric Partnership entered into formally by both organizations in October 1994. It builds upon a number

of activities conducted jointly by DOE and EPRI over the past two decades.

Objectives, Approach and Scope

Purpose and Audience: In response to growing interest in renewable power technologies and the need for consistent ,

objective assessments of technology performance and costs, DOE and EPRI collaborated to prepare the Renewabl e

Energy Technology Characterizations (TCs) presented in this document. Together, through this document, DOE an d

EPRI aim to provide for the energy community and the general public an objective picture of the status an d

expectations for the renewable power technologies in electric-power applications in the United States. These TC s

represent a consensus between DOE and EPRI on the current status and projected development path of five renewable

electricity generating technologies: biomass, geothermal, photovoltaics, solar thermal and wind. In addition ,

recognizing the role that storage can play in enhancing the value of some renewable power plants, a TC for storag e

technologies, with a strong emphasis on batteries, is included in an appendix. The TCs can serve two distinct purposes.

First, they are designed to be a reference tool for energy-policy analysts and power-system planners seeking objectiv e

cost and performance data. Second, the extensive discussions of the assumptions that underlie the data provid e

valuable insights for R&D program planners as they strive to prioritize future R&D efforts.

Approach: Building on the best available information and experience from many years of direct involvement in th e

development and assessment of renewable energy technologies, experts from DOE, its national laboratories and support

organizations prepared characterizations of the major renewable technologies. These were subjected to in-depth review

by EPRI technical staff in renewables and selected outside reviewers, and then discussed at length in two technica l

workshops involving the writers and the reviewers. The characterizations were then revised, reflecting discussions a t

and subsequent to the workshops, resulting in this consensus document. In some cases, EPRI staff participated i n

preparation of overview sections.