FERC Technical Conference Features Data on Increasing Congestions Costs and Validation of GETs Solutions
From June 22-24, 2022, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission held a Technical Conference on Increasing Market and Planning Efficiency through Improved Software.
Dr. Pablo Ruiz, Founder and CEO of NewGrid Inc., presented on the increasing costs of transmission congestion and how topology optimization software can reduce the cost to customers.
Dr. Ruiz cited the 2021 MISO State of the Market Report, which found that congestion costs tripled in 2021, compared to the year before. In the spring of 2022, congestion costs were over $1 billion in the region.
In a case study of a line that had $57 million in congestion costs in the summer of 2021, grid reconfiguration could have saved $38 million in congestion costs, enabling 25% more power to be delivered.
In a case study with Alliant Energy, New Grid Inc.’s topology optimization software identified reconfiguration solutions that could resolve 41% of congestion costs in the region analyzed – saving customers $45 million over 8 months.
The presentation concluded:
Topology optimization lowers risks and increases transmission system performance and utilization by rerouting flow away from heavily loaded elements to areas with additional capacity.
Reconfigurations can be very effective to lower congestion costs and improve reliable flow control on the grid, complementing redispatch.
A reconfiguration request process can reduce transmission customer congestion costs by over 40%