Report from North America electricity system operators examines impact of emerging technologies
March 16, 2017
A new report from the organization representing North America’s independent electricity system operators concludes that a reliable and economically efficient power grid depends on:
- cohesive, efficient, and innovative integration of renewables to the grid
- the accuracy and availability of dependable data from “behind-the-meter” resources for better situational awareness
- operators’ ability to control an electricity system that is becoming increasingly decentralized through the proliferation of distributed energy resources.
The report, entitled “Emerging Technologies: How ISOs and RTOs can create a more nimble, robust electricity system,” has been published by an affiliation of nine non-profit Independent System Operators (ISO) and Regional Transmission Organizations (RTO) known collectively as the ISO/RTO Council (IRC). IRC members serve two-thirds of electricity consumers in the United States and more than half in Canada. Ontario’s IESO is a member. More than 80 percent of all non-hydro renewable energy capacity in North America lies within the service territories of IRC members.
The IRC defines in its report a number of positions regarding policies, strategic approaches, goals and critical success factors for the near future. The full report and supplemental materials are available at www.iso-rto.org/Reports/default.