A reliable grid depends on rapid clean energy deployment. EPA’s proposed standards help accelerate that shift.

Read the full story from the Rocky Mountain Institute.

The comment period for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s proposed greenhouse gas emissions standards for power plants closed on August 8, and headlines indicate that the industry is fractured. The regulations are intended to set performance standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants including new gas plants, existing coal plants, and existing gas plants.

One of the key concerns raised by some grid operators and utilities is that the gas standards, in particular, could impact grid reliability by chilling the market for new gas plants and limiting the ability of the existing gas fleet to generate when needed. But our analysis shows that rather than compromising reliability, the standards support the economic transition underway toward cleaner reliability options and reduce emissions in a critical step toward a decarbonized electricity future. They provide significant flexibility for gas plants to continue to operate in ways that provide grid reliability services if needed, while encouraging a shift toward a more diverse set of resources that can reduce the risk of relying heavily on uncontrolled fossil fuel plants.