CEO says MISO must 'rethink' reliability as momentum behind renewables mounts

摘要

As wind generation expands in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator footprint, the ISO will need to rethink its “regional reliability imperative” and press forward with expanding transmission, the CEO of MISO said during a Nov. 17 webcast. John Bear, speaking on the ACORE Grid Forum webcast, said the 15-state MISO market was going through a “redefinition,” as clean energy deployment was moving rapidly and as utilities were replacing long-held coal-fired generation and some nuclear generation with wind, solar and battery storage assets. In the MISO footprint, wind has grown to account for nearly 10% of our annual energy production while coal has dropped from a 76% (2005) share to 39%. By 2040, MISO members’ current filed plans indicate that coal will continue to decline, to less than 10%, while wind grows to over 20% and solar to 10%.