Getting Paid for Grid Services and Supply Diversity: Are the Regulators Recognizing These Services?

摘要

This paper discusses recent and ongoing regulatory proceedings and the resource modeling they are conducting to support these efforts. These regulatory proceedings could provide additional income streams for geothermal projects or demonstrate the value of geothermal resources in an increasingly decarbonized electric grid. With high penetrations of variable energy resources (VERs) including wind and solar, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) became concerned about essential reliability services. These services include frequency response, voltage support and flexible ramping. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) responded to NERC's initial work on essential reliability services by adopting new frequency response reliability standards for balancing areas. FERC also initiated further evaluation of frequency response and voltage support at the generator level to recognize the benefits provided by and potentially, compensate generators capable of providing these services. In response to FERC's adoption of a new reliability standard, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), is taking steps to procure frequency response services. In addition to frequency control and voltage support, many countries and sub-nationals are working to create low carbon electric grids that can provide low carbon energy when VERs are not operating. Renewable geothermal energy resources can provide energy during non-solar peak hours and can become key resources for reducing the carbon content of electric grids. Recent modeling in California is showing geothermal energy can provide needed grid balancing services when 50% of the energy serving load must come from qualified renewable energy sources (in California renewable resources exclude hydroelectric resources over 30 MW in size). Recent modeling also shows the addition of geothermal resources provides a significant marginal value for ratepayers of $75/MWh.