The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) is undertaking work to evaluate capacity accreditation approaches for Ontario’s evolving electricity system.
Capacity accreditation estimates how much a resource contributes to reliability during periods of need and can play an important role in long-term planning and procurement. As Ontario's resource mix becomes more diverse, accurately assessing the reliability contribution of different resource types is becoming increasingly important. Resources with the same installed capacity may not provide the same value to the system when reliability is at risk.
Historically, accreditation approaches have focused on resource availability and historical performance. More recently, independent system operators across North America have begun exploring methods that better reflect system conditions, resource interactions, and performance during periods of reliability need.
Through this engagement, the IESO will share information on different accreditation approaches, discuss the trade-offs associated with each method and share results. Feedback received will help inform future assessment of capacity accreditation in support of Ontario's long-term planning and procurement.
