Wilson Peppard, P.E.

Yet another bad sign in ERCOT (TX) of potential reliability problems ahead. Yesterday evening 4/16 on a beautiful spring day, power prices jumped to over $4,000/MWh on an 80 degree spring day when solar went from a peak of 14,000 MW to 0 MW and wind went from 23,000 MW in the morning to 5,000 MW in the evening with ERCOT asking for conservation of power throughout the day. So what saved the day? Same as usual natural gas and coal generation went from a combined 16,000 MW in the morning to 43,000 MW to offset the collapse of solar and wind. Said another way, solar and wind went from 50% of the generation for much of the day to 10% in just a few hours while natural gas and coal went from 40% early in the day to over 80% to make up the difference. Many continue to advocate adding intermittent solar and wind generation can replace reliable and dispatchable natural gas and coal generation. The grid will get more unreliable and wild price swing will be unacceptable for most customers. We can much better than this for all U.S. citizens and its economy that relies on reliable power in all hours, not just when the wind blows and the sun shines.

372

94 Comments

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will finalize its regional transmission planning and cost allocation rule on 📅 May 13 📅 Check out this piece from Cody Lynch, director of renewable energy for Coalfield Development Corporation, on the importance of regional transmission lines to economic development in Appalachia. "Strategic transmission planning and investment is vital to supporting business development, reducing congestion on lines and connecting consumers to the cheapest and most reliable energy sources at any given time." ⤵ https://lnkd.in/encgTDcq

4

Here is the summary of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's new long-term transmission planning order (released today, May 13). The grid rule contains these major elements: 1️⃣ Requirement to conduct and periodically update long-term transmission planning to anticipate future needs. 2️⃣ Requirement to consider a broad set of benefits when planning new facilities. 3️⃣ Requirement to identify opportunities to modify in-kind replacement of existing transmission facilities to increase their transfer capability, known as “right-sizing.” 4️⃣ Customers pay only for projects from which they benefit. 5️⃣ Expands states’ pivotal role throughout the process of planning, selecting, and determining how to pay for transmission facilities. https://lnkd.in/eGDPjK-E

92

1 Comment

Special thanks to Kim Casey, executive director of Gulf Coast Power Association and her team for their efforts to bring members together here in Houston. These gatherings are very important for continued cross-sector collaboration of energy leaders. And thank you to the panelists Ali Amirali (Lotus Infrastructure Partners), Kip Fox (Electric Transmission Texas, LLC), Brian Hudson, MBA, PMP (Priority Power), and Kris Zadlo (Grid United), as well as Vignesh Gulasingam (AFRY) who introduced the panel. Unprecedented load growth, generation supply shortage, supply chain issues, increasing material costs, O&M costs, permitting and long lead time to build transmission were all discussed. The panel focused on the new “GW loads” such as data centers, cryptocurrency, and hydrogen loads which are causing major challenges. While HVDC is being built in Europe, we still see slow acceptance and adoption from our industry in the U.S. Collaboration between stakeholders and regulatory in particular is necessary to facilitate innovation in the cost recovery mechanism of GETS and SATA, and in building private networks to meet large load demands. Other speakers and sessions at #GCPASpring today lined up nicely. Charles Blanchard, Head of Gas & Power Research at Mercuria Energy Americas put into perspective the volatility of natural gas pricing and supply if not fully coordinated with industry needs. Pat Wood, III, CEO, Hunt Energy Network & Former Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, emphasized leveraging the low hanging fruit of grid edge resources and flexibility behind the meter. Bryan Fisher, Managing Director of Climate Aligned Industries at RMI, provided a mind-blowing presentation on hydrogen load forecast. Finally the last session addressed Retail and the Virtual Power Plant, with companies focused on working on realizing that significant game changing model with the end consumers (Aaron Berndt of Renew Home, Caleb Bicknell of Generac, Predrag "P.J." Popovic of Rhythm Energy, Gregory Thurnher of Tesla). As I head home to #ATX I’m feeling energized that so many of us are considering long-term impacts of short-term needs like large load interconnection and reassessing our next steps while considering grid-enhancing technologies. We must utilize all resources available to consider multiple future scenarios and solutions to address current challenges and plan for the challenges of tomorrow. The road ahead will have setbacks, no question, but we must remain steadfast pushing change to ensure a reliable and resilient power grid. #GETS #Interconnection #ClimateChange #ClimateGoals #ArtificialIntelligence #WomenInEnergy

51

6 Comments

🔔 For those who've missed it, PJM Interconnection posted last week a very neat infographic showing the status of their queue. Something I found interesting is that PJM shared they've cleared around 40 GW of new generation to connect to the grid that has not yet started construction. According to PJM, nothing from their end is holding these projects back, but yet they sit idle due to financing, siting or supply chain issues. This also aligns with the recent post made by Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) where they flagged 50 GW of approved generation projects that are in various stages of completion with many still awaiting construction due to similar problems flagged by PJM. If you're a developer in this situation, it would be great to learn more about the challenges you are facing.

65

2 Comments

This article states grid operators are not effectively using inter-regional ties. At least from my experience in the northeast, the operators’ hands are generally tied by market rules. Transactions across inter-regional ties between the BAs/RCs are scheduled according to the bids submitted into the market. They are scheduled based on the LMPs in each of the respective systems relative to the submitted bids of the transactions. The operators in most cases are precluded from scheduling any energy across the inter-regional ties short of emergency assistance. Operators moving energy based on their view of economics and where power should be flowing results in them being crucified by the stakeholders for potentially manipulating the market and the prices. I’m not really sure where this conclusion came from but it does operators a disservice. #NREL #energyscheduling #operations

22

6 Comments

Across the country, utilities have an opportunity to build relationships with customers and drive the education and adoption of distributed energy resources (DERs) to help lower peak demand and reduce the need for costly new infrastructure. Residential customers in Texas might soon play a key role in the #txenergy market, following insights & outcomes from the current aggregated distributed energy resource (ADER) pilot. https://ow.ly/lRly50SkVhc

1

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission must address obstacles to getting needed transmission built, including those rooted in Order 1000. Read more about how collaboration has been a key element of successful transmission expansion projects, and how competition has introduced barriers that inhibit productive collaboration. Access the Grid Strategies LLC report: https://lnkd.in/dEvDcrQD #transmission #gridofthefuture #gridreliability #gridmodernization

22

1 Comment

The new #ERCOT mandate can become a pressing issue but we are here to help! Please reach out to explore how we can help!

25

4 Comments

REMINDER: Tune into today's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Transmission Planning Rule Breakdown PowerCast from 1–2 PM ET to hear from a panel of experts as they discuss what the recent FERC ruling is attempting to achieve, its implementation, significance, and potential issues. Register now: https://bit.ly/3wC4WEH

6

Electrification load growth is set to increase by 38 Gigawatts by 2028! Consider the impacts on virtually every asset upstream of the meter! Grid awareness is a must! Optimization of assets is non-negotiable! Rhythmos.io

19

1 Comment

In this timely discussion, Barry Devine, MBA , Program Manager for Renewable Energy Tax Credit Services at Tri-Merit discusses recent updates given on the 48C Advanced Energy Project Credit Program. The 48C credit is a tax credit for investments in advanced energy projects WITH THE intent to strengthen U.S. industrial competitiveness and clean energy supply chains. The 48C is a unique credit because it is a credit for the ‘facility’, so a manufacturer or industrial operator can get a credit for the activities within the facility. https://bit.ly/4drdFds #48c #section48c #taxupdates #taxcredit #taxincentive #taxdeduction #energy #energycredit #clean #cleanenergy #renewableenergy #trimerit

8

Hope ERCOT manages. Jonathon Blackburn provides a partial description of situation. More full description would be wind generation with 39 GW of nameplate operating at 2 GW currently and tomorrow during peak load at 7 GW with 23 GW of solar going to zero as the sun sets. That would be 30 - 35 GW unavailable in Spring when its supposed to be windy and 23 GW of solar off at sunset. Yes 20 GW of gas/coal on unplanned outages which is a high during the planned outage season (Spring/Fall), but endemic of the ERCOT Market that has not paid for capacity availability for years and marginal plants get under invested for years leading to higher forced outages. It is also true that when plant come down and start back up during outage season, the start is where they are most vulnerable to forced outages as something was altered or not done correctly during the outage and you find out on start-up. It's a toxic mix of lots of intermittent generation and retirement/under-investment of generally reliable and dispatchable generation all while load is growing quickly. For those us who are responsible for grid reliability and having affordable power for all customers, it is a real challenge self-imposed by bad energy policies for 10 - 20 years, with more to come.

30

5 Comments

As we incorporate more renewable energy into New York's energy mix, we also much upgrade our grid to accommodate larger electricity loads. One way we're doing this is by installing Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) technology. DLR enables us to deliver more clean energy with greater efficiency by providing real-time data that our operators can use to maximize line capacity and safely move power to where it is needed most, especially during extreme weather. We recently deployed Line Vision’s DLR on four 115kV transmission lines in Western New York. This is the largest operationalization of an innovative line rating technology in the United States and the first in New York. As utilities think about increased electric demand as part of the clean energy transition, DLR is a gamechanger for ensuring that supply is moving where it is needed as efficiently as possible. National Grid is proud to work with companies that share our dedication to accelerating a stronger, smarter, and cleaner energy system. This project is an exciting step forward, and we look forward to building on this progress to develop the infrastructure necessary for a sustainable future.

182

1 Comment

Transmission permitting shouldn't be a losing game. We're pleased to see the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s effort to streamline the federal transmission permitting process through its Coordinated Interagency Authorizations and Permits (CITAP) program. But permitting still takes too long: transmission developers are faced with navigating years-long mazes of bureaucratic offices and agencies to obtain permits which resemble the classic board game Chutes and Ladders. NEMA strongly encourages DOE to identify additional procedural steps that currently complicate the permitting process and create a holistic, national policy that anticipates future grid capacity and streamlines transmission policy through FERC’s federal authority. Click below for NEMA's graphic outlining the complexity of the current transmission process. https://lnkd.in/eTbiQbXQ

10

As utility managers know, grid reliability and compliance are paramount. Our Caydence Ambient Adjusted Rating (AAR) Solution is designed to meet those critical standards. ✅ Caydence AAR is fully compliant with FERC Order 881, providing accurate assessments of transmission line capacities under varying weather conditions. This enables the delivery of timely and accurate data essential for optimizing system operations and enhancing network performance. 📈 Designed to integrate effortlessly with existing grid management systems, Caydence AAR ensures regulatory compliance and boosts network capacity and reliability.💡 Discover more about the advantages of Caydence AAR in our detailed overview. 📊 #UtilityManagement #GridReliability #FERCOrder881 #CaydenceAAR #NetworkPerformance #Innovation #nmgroup

15