The future of power in New York
Renewables and technology are changing how we get electricity. How will the grid adapt?
The electricity industry is in an exhilarating period of innovation driven by new energy resources and cutting-edge technology. And our own state of New York is leading the charge for change.
These new technologies and renewable energy resources are changing how and where power is created, and, in turn, how we at the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) operate the grid and administer competitive markets.
Increasingly, consumers are choosing to generate (and/or store) their own power using solar-photovoltaics, combined heat-and-power and energy-storage systems. This changing landscape offers the exciting and challenging opportunity to create a fully integrated grid that combines the strength of central power supply (traditional power plants) and the flexibility of distributed energy resources (DER).
But how can an electric system built on a model of centralized power adapt to new decentralized resources with different characteristics, designs and requirements?
The NYISO is addressing this question and more with our DER Roadmap—a comprehensive plan to integrate emerging resources with New York’s bulk power system and wholesale electricity markets.
The Roadmap aligns with the state Public Service Commission’s Reforming the Energy Vision initiative and offers routes to a future where consumers and emerging technologies support seamless coordination between retail and wholesale markets.
In addition, the Roadmap highlights opportunities for more resources to participate in our market. It guides developers, communities and others as they look to invest in a more flexible and efficient grid.
So what are distributed energy resources and why are they important?
These resources are typically located on an electricity customer’s premises and usually operated to supply the customer’s own power needs, but can also provide services to New York’s wholesale electricity markets. Distributed energy resources can consist of demand management, power generation, energy storage, or various combinations of those technologies aggregated into a single entity.
These emerging resources can help grid operators by improving system resiliency, energy security, and fuel diversity. They can improve market efficiency, help lower consumer prices, and allow consumers to take greater control of their electricity use and costs. Distributed resources will also improve our environment through the development of new renewable generation and energy storage technologies, helping the State of New York achieve its goals under the REV and Clean Energy Standard initiatives. In short, distributed energy resources are poised to become a critical component in our future electric grid.
