Blowing Down Bariers to Entry: FERC Proposes New Rules to Encourage Integration of Renewable Generation Resources
By Donald Kaplan, Andrew Young, William Keyser and Molly Suda (Wasington, DC)
Concerned that transmission system operators’ current operational protocols are inhibiting the integration of renewable generation facilities that depend on intermittent energy sources, such as wind and solar generation facilities, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) recently issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the Integration of Variable Energy Resources (“NOPR”).
Building from the Notice of Inquiry on the Integration of Variable Energy Resources (“NOI”) issued earlier this year, FERC recognized that the increasing role of variable energy resources could necessitate reforms to operational protocols that were developed at a time when virtually all generation could be scheduled and only load exhibited significant degrees of variability.
Choosing to focus on reforms that would have near-term effects instead of addressing all the topics covered by the NOI, FERC identifies three complementary reforms to existing operational protocols that it hopes will encourage the interconnection of renewable generation facilities...
