American Wind Energy Association Urges U.S. Electric Grid Operators to Prepare to Harness the Benefits of Hybrid Energy Projects

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) today stressed the need for the U.S. Regional Transmission Operators and Independent System Operators (collectively referred to as ISOs) to update their policies to accommodate the growing number of hybrid renewable energy and storage projects requesting interconnection to the nation’s electric grids.
 
Washington D.C. – The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) today stressed the need for the U.S. Regional Transmission Operators and Independent System Operators (collectively referred to as ISOs) to update their policies to accommodate the growing number of hybrid renewable energy and storage projects requesting interconnection to the nation’s electric grids. These hybrid and co-located projects, which often include pairings of wind, solar, storage, or all three technologies, now represent over ten percent of the resources seeking interconnection to ISOs in the U.S.

Hybrid resources have the potential to bring significant benefits to the nation’s electric grid, helping deliver more electricity when it is needed most by customers, at a lower cost, while also enhancing the reliability of the electric system. Several regions have started adapting their market rules to account for the capabilities of hybrid and co-located resources. We must continue this process and expand best practices across the ISOs in order to allow affordable, reliable, and emissions-free electricity to supply energy, capacity, and ancillary services to the grid. The ISOs, their stakeholders, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and the resource developers need to proactively work to resolve barriers and adjust ISO market rules and practices to facilitate the efficient entry and operation of hybrid and co-located resources.

“As energy technologies improve and partnerships emerge to increase the performance and flexibility of our country’s electric grid, we must update and refine outdated policies that are impeding the ability of those technologies to enter the market and lower costs for customers. Hybrid projects, which combine energy sources so that the total is greater than the some of its parts, represent the next major phase of energy development in the U.S., helping our country’s electric sector reach a cleaner, more affordable, and more reliable energy future.” – Adam Stern, AWEA Research and Analytics Manager.

AWEA applauds FERC for recognizing the need to discuss these policy updates by hosting tomorrow’s technical conference on hybrid and co-located project integration. Along with participating at the conference, AWEA will next week release potential key strategies to allow energy markets to fully realize the flexibility that hybrid and co-located resources can bring to the grid. The executive summary of that whitepaper can be found here.

Please contact Sam Brock (sbrock@awea.org) to schedule an interview with Adam Stern, or with Dr. Emma Nicholson, the primary author of the whitepaper.