By Clay Gibbs, Cornhusker Public Power District general manager
Recently, I attended the 2023 Nebraska Wind and Solar Conference in Lincoln. I have attended this conference for over 10 years and always find it to be informative and at the same time, a little bit frustrating. Let me explain. Discussions on renewable energy resources, at least as they exist today, often fail to acknowledge their limitations. Having made that statement, it’s understandable that assumptions could be made that I am anti-renewable; however, that couldn’t be further from the truth. I fully support renewable research and development, and applaud all those who are exploring options, as it is obvious the ways electricity is generated and delivered has and will continue to change.
My only request is that there continue to be honest conversations regarding the true attributes and/or limitations of all resources. I also believe it’s fair to take a moment and acknowledge the value and enhanced quality of life made possible by all the hard-working men and women who have provided safe, reliable, and affordable electricity for decades. Moving forward is essential, and that means exploring and developing new technologies to provide clean, safe, reliable, and sustainable energy that remains affordable for all.
This year’s conference had a bit of a different feel and it had to do with a good number of speakers that acknowledged renewable resources’ actual performance characteristics. There was also more discussion about working together. Several speakers complimented public power and the job they have done and continue to do. Many also acknowledged the importance of energy “storage” to provide a more stable future regarding current renewable energy generation, due to its intermittent nature.
It seems fair to say that those of us in the industry, working on energy generation and delivery each day, understand the reality of different energy resources, the pros and cons, reliability, affordability, and sustainability as well as anyone. Without question, every resource past and future, has, or more than likely will have, some sort of negative quality or characteristic, even more reason to continue to work together, explore every option, and do so without agenda or political bias.
It’s no secret that in the current arena for power supply, the options are limited. There won’t be any new coal facilities built and natural gas is possible, but supply availability limits plant locations. Transmission lines are also very difficult to build today. Other future options gaining traction are small modular nuclear reactors or mini reactors, yet cost and timeframes, at least currently, appear to push any real opportunities several years down the road.
I truly believe that the generation and delivery of an electron will change more in the next 10 years than it has in the past 100. Micro-grids for residential and small businesses seem very likely, especially given the difficulty with building any new, large scale generation facilities, transmission lines, or pipelines.
Over the past seven years we have experienced more and more interest from customers wanting to install and manage behind-the-meter systems, and I don’t see that trend falling off. If you factor in the interest in storage and advanced storage, it seems likely that storage options will continue to make their way into the mix, with a price tag that is attractive. If we factor in the possibility of continued government incentives, things could change pretty quickly.
Balance will continue to be the key as we transition from today’s energy generation portfolio to the future portfolio. Entities that understand the value of balance, combined with the further understanding that the transition needs to happen when the technology can match the needs and demands of energy consumers - will prevail. Regardless of what that looks like, the greatest thing about public power will continue to be that each day we are afforded an opportunity to provide one of the most essential products in the world!