INTEGRATING WIND AND DEMAND-SIDE MANAGEMENT INTOTRANSMISSION PLANNING:THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN AREA TRANSMISSION STUDY

摘要

Plans to expand the western grid are now underway. Bringing power from low-costrnremote resources-including wind-to load centers could reduce costs for all consumers.rnBut many paths appear to be already congested. Locational marginal price-basedrnmodeling is designed to identify the most cost-effective paths to be upgraded. Thernranking of such paths is intended as the start of a process of political and regulatoryrnapprovals that are expected to result in the eventual construction of new and upgradedrnlines. This paper reviews the necessary data and analytical tasks to accurately representrnwind in such modeling, and addresses some policy and regulatory issues that can helprnwith wind integration into the grid. Providing wind fair access to the grid also (and morernimmediately) depends on tariff and regulatory changes. Expansion of the RockyrnMountain Area Transmission Study (RMATS) study scope to address operational issuesrnsupports the development of transmission solutions that enable wind to connect andrndeliver power in the next few years-much sooner than upgrades can be completed.rnTaken together, the economic modeling and tariff investigation of the RMATS studyrnprovide an unprecedented opportunity for utility planners, regulators, and state officialsrnto consider the integration of gigawatt-scale additions of wind power into the WesternrnInterconnection. In doing so, it sets important precedents for treating wind inrntransmission studies in other regions.