Overview
A huge wave of solar projects is cresting in ERCOT: as of September 2021, developers had 100.3GW of solar capacity in the queue vs 42.4GW of utility-scale battery storage, 22.5GW of wind, 13.5GW of natural gas. However, it isn’t clear what the future portends. Transmission congestion is affecting the ability to deliver power from some of the most resource-rich areas, while the increase of solar on the system is already having impacts on the power price curve. This panel will explore the drivers and challenges for utility-scale renewable development in ERCOT, including:
- How is the development community tackling the Texas market?
- What do corporate commitments to decarbonization mean for the ERCOT market project pipeline?
- What impacts might the runaway trajectory of ERCOT REC prices from $.5/MWh to over $6/MWh in 2 years have on portfolio planning?
- Will Texas state policies developed to support investments in carbon-intensive fossil industries and plants affect renewable project deployments?
- How is transmission congestion affecting the value of new builds and existing projects?
- How are power prices affecting project economics?
- What strategic remedies may be used to deal with basis risk and other uncertainties?
- How much solar is really likely to come on the system in the next 3 years?
- What are the prospects for wind development in 2022 and 2023?
