The minimum amount of electricity that a utility must provide to meet the consistent, ongoing needs of its customers. Historically, this steady demand was met by large power plants (like coal or nuclear) that ran continuously. Today, with more renewable energy, this minimum demand can be met by a flexible mix of various power sources, rather than relying solely on specific “baseload plants”.
A technology that stores electrical energy in rechargeable batteries for later use. Batteries help stabilize the grid, manage energy demand, and increase the use of renewable energy.
Any energy resource that provides energy directly to a home or business without passing through a utility company’s meter. Examples include rooftop solar and microgrids.
These incentivize customers to reduce, increase, or shift their electricity consumption in response to price spikes or grid reliability signals. Most programs encourage utility customers primarily through price incentives to shift electricity consumption from hours of high demand (relative to energy supply) to hours when energy supply is plentiful (relative to demand).
These encompass strategies and programs designed to influence electricity consumption patterns on the customer side of the meter. These initiatives aim to moderate electricity demand through methods such as financial incentives for energy conservation and energy efficiency measures, like improved insulation or the adoption of energy-efficient appliances.
Refers to electricity generation resources that power grid operators can control and adjust on demand to meet changing electricity needs. These include nuclear, hydropower, battery storage, and thermal power plants.
Small-scale energy generation and storage technologies located near the point where the energy is used, rather than at a centralized power plant. These resources–such as solar microgrids, rooftop solar, and battery storage–can be used to enhance or replace traditional energy sources and can operate independently or be connected to the main grid.
Refers to any unwanted or unplanned electrical event that interferes with the normal operation of the electrical grid. These can manifest in power outages, surges, and other events, and can originate from various sources within the electrical grid, such as loss of a large generating unit or another grid asset, such as a transmission line or transformer.
The ability of a piece of electrical equipment to stay connected to the grid through a short-term disturbance, thus helping keep the grid stable through the event. Inverter-based resources, such as photovoltaic solar arrays, wind turbines, and battery storage, can provide disturbance ride-through services, but require specific design of their control system to do so.
In energy regulation, it is a formal proceeding or official record initiated by a regulatory body (such as a Public Utilities Commission or the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)) to address a specific issue or project. It serves as a repository for all submitted documents, evidence, and public comments.
A visual representation of how solar power generation impacts the daily electricity demand curve, particularly in regions with high solar adoption like California. It depicts a dip in net electricity demand during midday due to solar generation, followed by a steep increase in the evening as solar output decreases and demand peaks.
The mechanism for choosing the lowest cost energy option that meets energy needs, which gives cheaper renewable energy and battery storage an edge.
Measurement used to calculate how much an energy resource–such as a wind farm or solar array–contributes to the overall reliability of the grid. It assesses the resource’s ability to meet electricity demand, particularly during peak usage periods, and is especially useful for variable renewable energy sources whose output depends on factors like weather conditions.
Measures that reduce electricity use in a home or business. These measures include replacing inefficient heating and air conditioners with heat pumps, adding attic insulation, and sealing ducts and foundation, walls, roof, windows, and doors of buildings. It also includes replacing energy-intensive appliances with more efficient ones. These measures can provide energy savings, improve comfort, and increase property values.
Connecting new generation to the grid with minimal transmission upgrades and managing impacts through operational strategies rather than extensive upfront infrastructure investments. This approach, often referred to as “connect and manage,” prioritizes adding generation capacity quickly while relying on the grid operator to manage any resulting operational constraints. It requires new resources to risk curtailment (where the generator is asked to stop supplying power to the grid when supply is too high). The process has allowed Texas’ ERCOT to connect record numbers of new clean projects in the last several years significantly faster than other regions.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas serves as an independent system operator (ISO), managing the flow of electrical power over transmission infrastructure in the state of Texas.
A combination of automated and manual controls grid operators adjust to maintain grid reliability by ensuring a balance between supply (generation) and demand (load). They generally consist of three main aspects:
Fuel cell that carries energy generated from another source. It can be used in fuel cells to generate electricity with water as the only byproduct, or it can be burned for heat. Hydrogen can be produced from a variety of sources–renewable energy such as solar or wind, or gas plants, nuclear, and other energy sources–which dictate whether it can be considered “clean” or not.
Historically refers to industrial facilities with high electrical demand. They had long interconnection timelines that allowed for more study time under traditional planning processes. Currently, emerging large loads include cryptocurrency mining, data centers (conventional and artificial intelligence), oil field loads, and hydrogen production facilities. Many have a shorter timeline to interconnect (months vs. years) to the grid. In addition to these rapid timelines, some emerging large loads introduce new challenges to grid operators like rapid demand fluctuations and increased voltage sensitivity.
The amount of power or electricity consumed by a device or system at a given time. It’s the demand placed on an energy source, like a power grid or a battery, by the connected electrical equipment.
