Reliability Technical Conference addresses policy issues for bulk-power system stability
Two members of the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission gave presentations at a recent conference that was held to foster discussion on policy issues relating to changes in the bulk-power system.
Presenting on behalf of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), Commissioner David R. Clark commented on themes relating to the impact of new reliability standards on regulators, as well as the repercussions the changing electric generation mix may have on reliability in the future.
Commissioner Lorraine H. Akiba focused her presentation on issues specific to the state of Hawaii, including system level reliability, curtailment and operational challenges, and grid stability.
“The resource mix in this country is changing as a result of market forces and environmental regulation,” NARUC President Travis Kavulla said. “Meanwhile, the grid — the most complicated machine man has ever built — is only becoming more complicated because of an increasing reliance on natural gas, weather-dependent generation, customer-side resources, and increasingly sophisticated operation and information technologies. We need to prepare for the reliability implications of those changes. Making sure we do it right means insisting on risk-based standards and meaningful cost-benefit analysis, even while having an awareness of the new types of N-1 events that pose significant risks.
“I applaud FERC, NERC, and the regional reliability entities for their work on this subject, and commend their attention to what our state commissioners had to say in today’s technical conference on the subject.”
