Scheduling Electrified Freight Transportation to Increase Renewable Generation Utilization

A target has been set to have 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by the year 2035 in the US, requiring an increased reliance on renewable sources. However, as renewable energy sources become more integrated into power systems it causes a fluctuation in power supply. Batteries are typically used to deal with fluctuations but are unsuitable for longer timescales due to the associated costs. As of now, electric freight transportation is in the early stage of deployment. This paper presents a solution to help mitigate the challenge associated with renewables and reduce the variation in supply by leveraging the flexibility of supply chains and integrating electrified supply chains into power systems planning and operation. We demonstrate that (unlike batteries) supply chain flexibility can increase utilization of renewables, for incentives as low as $0.01 per MWh.