As the year comes to a close, we want to extend our heartfelt wishes to you and your loved ones. This season is a time for reflection, gratitude, and celebration. Whether you’re gathering with family, friends, or enjoying some peaceful moments on your own, we hope your holidays are filled with joy, warmth, and wonderful memories.
In this newsletter, we share our updates on:
Upcoming advisory/task force meetings
EPRI-NERC-NATF webcast
DOE Collaborative Ancillary Service Accelerator for Renewables (CASAR) project
10th Annual ISO/RTO Market Design Forum
Recent events and webcasts
We are especially grateful for our members. You make the work we do exciting and valuable. Thank you for being a part of our community. Last week, we met for our annual team meeting in Tucson, AZ – one of the highlights among all the great discussions on 2025 was hearing about the various ways we provide value to the industry through working with you all! We look forward to more collaborations in 2025 and to seeing you at our winter advisory meeting in Charlotte, NC from February 24-26.
Warmest wishes, ❄️The Transmission Operations and Planning Team❄️
Winter Advisory (and Task Force Meetings)
Please save the date for the next advisory meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina from February 24th to 26th!
As you have hopefully already seen, we will be having our next in-person advisory meeting in Charlotte, NC from February 24th- 26th, 2025. This is a key opportunity for members to engage with our team on the research, and help set the agenda for the coming year and into 2026. We will cover a variety of topics across transmission operations and planning, including methods and tools for IBR and large load integration, exploring the reality behind the hype of AI in operations and planning, updates on latest in system protection and resilience assessment, and training needs for the evolving grid. It’s a great opportunity to meet the team, but also to meet with each other and hear from others about their key topics as we start 2025.
One thing that we’re doing differently this year, based on feedback from members, is to merge what was two separate meetings – the winter advisory and spring task force meetings. As both meetings covered similar topics with similar people attending, we decided to merge the two. As indicated in the agenda, the first day will be more strategic, with all of operations and planning in the same room and covering more strategic topics. The second and third will be more like the task force meetings, with separate planning and operations streams and more focus on the specific topics within those areas. This does mean you may need to have multiple people attend to get the full value of the meeting, but it should allow for even more fruitful discussions, engagement and demonstrations. We look forward to hearing your feedback on this new approach!
The EPRI-NERC-NATF joint virtual annual transmission planning and modeling seminar took place on November 19-20, 2024. As in the past, this seminar was well attended by various stakeholders in the industry. This seminar offers an excellent opportunity for professionals in the industry to network, learn, and stay updated on the cutting-edge trends and technologies shaping the future of transmission planning and modeling. Many thanks to EPRI employees Bob Arritt, Tamer Ibrahim, Alberto Del Rosso, and Swaroop Guggilam for sharing the latest on 2024 GMD event, node breaker modeling for transmission planning, and Grid Enhancing Technologies. Other topics discussed during the seminar were as follows:
latest NERC activities related to FERC Order 901, Electric Vehicles Task Force, GFM specification and modeling, etc.)
Impacts, challenges, and integration of large digital loads
EMT modeling
Transmission Planning with HVDC
All presentations and recordings are available online.
Engagement Opportunity: DOE Collaborative Ancillary Service Accelerator for Renewables (CASAR) project
The CASAR project, recently awarded to EPRI by the DOE, is a new initiative led by EPRI staff to explore how inverter-based resources (IBRs) can enhance grid reliability and provide economic benefits in ancillary service markets. As the power system transforms, grid needs are evolving along with the available resources able to provide them. This multi-year effort through CASAR will:
Design a pilot evaluation framework to properly evaluate IBR participation in ancillary service markets
Conduct a techno-economic analysis of the cost-benefits for sites providing ancillary services
Commission several demonstration sites for long-term (at least 6-months) study across various markets and regions
EPRI is seeking the participation of potential project partners and demonstration sites (Wind, Solar, and/or Solar+Storage of at least 10 MW). Project stakeholders can include Balancing Area Authorities, Market Operators, Renewable Developers, Owner/Operators, OEMs, technology companies, and local communities.
Interested participants should be on the lookout for a launch webcast invitation scheduled for Tuesday, January 21, 2025 at 11 am ET. For more information, please reach out to Curtiss Fox (cfox@epri.com) and Andreas Klaube (aklaube@epri.com).
Success Story: ISO/RTO Market Design Technical Forum
In November, we held our 10th annual ISO/RTO Market Design Technical Forum, during which our North American ISOs engaged in deep conversations over two and a half days about market design, operations, and market software evolution.
Topics included Ancillary Services with Duration Limits, Reliability Unit Commitment, Seams Management, Market Mitigation with Non-fuel-based Resources, Participation models, and Co-located Loads. The group regularly discusses emerging technologies, price formation, reliability services, and design details across energy, ancillary services, financial transmission rights, and capacity markets.
Over the last ten years, members from ERCOT, Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), Southwest Power Pool, PJM Interconnection, and others have supported and added value to these discussions. As these forums advance, we look forward to more collaboration and the great ideas these experts will think of next.
The ISO/RTO Market Design Technical Forum is part of EPRI’s Program 246 on Electricity Market Design and Operations. For more information, feel free to reach out to Nikita Singhal and Ryan Schoppe.
End of Year Reminders
EPRI is updating its business systems. As a result, there will be impacts to some of the ways you access EPRI.com at end of year.
RECENT EVENTS AND WEBCASTS
All TO&P funders are invited to listen to our webcasts. Recordings for past meetings can be found on the program cockpit by following the meeting material link below.
