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.
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.
The increase in the demand for electricity over time. It signifies the rising need for power from various sectors, including residential, commercial, and industrial, and can be driven by factors like population increases, economic development, and the adoption of new technologies like electric vehicles and data centers.
A controlled process where a utility company reduces or shuts off power supply to certain areas or customers to balance demand with available supply, preventing a complete system failure. It’s a last-resort measure to maintain grid stability when demand exceeds supply or when there are issues with power generation or transmission.
A way for wholesale electric energy prices to reflect the value of electric energy at different locations, accounting for the patterns of load, generation, and the physical limits of the transmission system.
Analysis is typically performed on a system to determine the amount of capacity that needs to be installed to meet the desired reliability target, commonly expressed as an expected value, or LOLE of 0.1 days/year.
A non-profit organization that represents state public service commissions, which regulate essential utility services like energy, telecommunications, and water. Its stated aim is to improve the quality and effectiveness of public utility regulation. It has eight committees:
It also has a task force focused on Innovation.
Non-profit organization that operates to assure the effective and efficient reduction of risks to the reliability and security of the grid. It oversees six regional reliability entities and encompasses all of the interconnected power systems of Canada and the contiguous United States, as well as a portion of the Mexican state of Baja California. Its responsibilities include working with all stakeholders to develop standards for power system operation, monitoring and enforcing compliance with those standards, assessing resource adequacy, and providing educational and training resources as part of an accreditation program. NERC also investigates and analyzes the causes of significant power system disturbances in order to help prevent future events and produces reports about the near and long-term reliability forecast.
A document used by government agencies to announce a potential new rule or amendment to an existing one. This is an official part of the law-making process, allowing public comment before the rule is finalized. The acronym is frequently used by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
A government-owned, contractor-operated facility, funded and overseen by the United States Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). It specializes in the research and development of renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy systems integration, and sustainable transportation.
New York ISO
A type of power station in which the heat energy generated from various fuel sources (e.g., coal, natural gas, nuclear fuel, etc.) is converted to electrical energy.
