Midcontinent ISO to study renewable energy integration
Midcontinent ISO had minimal renewable resources just a decade ago, but next year is expected to top 20 GW. While it’s still heavy on coal-fired power, the grid operator is predicting continued growth in carbon-free energy and is beginning to study how the current grid might restrict that.
Among questions which will be addressed: Which areas of the grid will be stressed first, how much renewable energy can be deployed before significant system changes are needed, are there limits to the integration of non-dispatchable power, and will energy storage be needed?
The study “will be used to facilitate a broader conversation about renewable energy-driven impacts on the reliability of the electric system,” according to a slide deck of planning documents. And it will “facilitate a broader conversation about renewable energy-driven impacts of fleet change on the reliability of the electric system.”
The study is a technical impact assessment, and MISO is not planning projects or policy changes as a direct result of the study.
It was just last year that MISO integrated the first solar farm into its wholesale market.
