Wind production, which has expanded rapidly in recent years, could be an important element in the future efficient management of the electric power system
however, wind energy generation is uncontrollable and intermittent in nature. Thus, while wind power represents a significant opportunity to the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), integrating high levels of wind resources into the power system will bring great challenges to generation scheduling and in the provision of ancillary services. This report addresses several key questions in the broader discussion on the integration of renewable energy resources in the Pacific Northwest power grid. More specifically, it addresses the following questions: a) how much total reserve or balancing requirements are necessary to accommodate the simulated expansion of intermittent renewable energy resources during the 2019 time horizon, and b) what are the most cost effective technological solutions for meeting load balancing requirements in the Northwest Power Pool (NWPP).