Energy Imbalance Markets are Coming to the Northwest
Posted on October 14, 2013 by Catriona McCracken
Tags, Generation, Transmission, Distribution
In preparing to moderate the “Flexibility Through Markets: Energy Imbalance Markets and the Future Utility” panel at this year’s CUB Policy Conference, The Flexibility Challenge: Renewables, Efficiency & Demand Response on October 25, 2013, I have been struggling to find a succinct description of exactly what it is this panel is going to discuss. But now, thanks to the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), perhaps I have the answer:
The anticipated growth of variable renewable generation, such as solar and wind power, in the West has raised concerns about how system operators will maintain balance between electricity production and demand in the Western Interconnection—and especially in its smaller balancing authority areas. Electric utilities are therefore considering the adoption of a large-scale energy imbalance market to address fluctuations in electricity generation and load. In an energy imbalance market, the variability of electricity generation and load is aggregated over multiple balancing authority areas and utility territories.
In the proposed Western energy imbalance market, balancing authority areas would pool their variable and conventional generation resources to improve operational efficiency over a wider area. This subhourly, real-time energy market would provide centralized, automated, and region-wide generation dispatch. By increasing the temporal and geographic footprint of the total balancing authority area, the market could moderate the variability of renewable generation resources and electricity demand.
NREL makes it sound so easy, doesn’t it? But why then are there two proposals for the Northwest—and not one? Come and learn about both the PacifiCorp/California Independent System Operator (CAL-ISO) venture, and the proposal under review by other members of the Northwest Power Pool. Help the panel (Sarah Dennison Leonard – Attorney At Law; Cameron Yourkowski - Senior Policy Manger, RNP; and Andrea Kelly - Senior V.P. Strategic Business Performance, PacifiCorp) dissect the benefits and risks posed by each project, its governance, and the role of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Help us decide whether an Energy Imbalance Market (EIM(s)) in the Northwest will help provide utilities with the “flexibility” needed to more efficiently balance loads and renewable resources, leverage demand response resources, and lower consumers’ bills. Help us design the flexible utilities of the future.
Tickets are still available, but going fast! Register online today.
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04/04/17 | 0 Comments | Energy Imbalance Markets are Coming to the Northwest