Brett Oakleaf has over 25 years of experience in the energy industry across a broad range of roles (e.g., long-range generation planning; transmission & distribution; natural gas operations). Brett is currently a strategic partnership manager for NREL, leading the lab’s sustainable aviation initiative and aviation collaborations.

Brett has an MBA from Georgia Tech, and a bachelor’s degree in engineering management from Clarkson University in New York.

Panel 5: How to Deal with Penetration of Renewables in the Grid?

Thursday, January 16th
16:15 – 17:45 | HG F 30 | Audi Max

Moderator: Albert Kammerer (Ansaldo Energia)

Panelists: Yunhe Hou (The University of Hong Kong), Frank Robin Muller (Amprion),  Brett Oakleaf (NREL), Andrew J. Owens (Hitachi Energy)

Abstract:

Power grids have been built on the concept of centralized power production. Large power units in the 10-1’000 MWe range provide steady base load power supply which is dispatchable on demand. Their capacity has been typically matching the local demand for power and therefore providing a stable and reliable power system. However, with the ever increase of renewables, the existing power grids must adapt. Several factors strain the capacity of power grids: intermittency of renewable power, increased distance for power transmission, lack of large-scale storage and lack of reactive power. This panels addresses this trend and highlights the challenges and possible solutions.