Flexible and Fast Response Controllable Resources

The increasing penetration of renewable energy resources — combined with the gradual, but inexorable, shift away from traditional baseload generation and other changes in the distribution and grid profile — are creating new challenges for utilities/load-serving entities, balancing area authorities and transmission system operators.  The need for grid-integrated resources that can deliver fast ramp and flexible balancing resource options has led to examination of what technologies already exist that can provide such resource characteristics economically over a long-term planning time-frame to ensure grid stability and reliability.  The list of technologies and devices includes such things as PV, aggregated DR and other behind-the-meter resources, flexible storage devices such as grid-integrated water heaters and ice, community storage, virtual power plants and electric vehicles.

This program will explore what North American and international utilities, load-serving entities, merchant generators, balancing authorities, and regional transmission system operators are doing to define, evaluate and implement strategies that allow their systems to better integrate flexible resource approaches into their operations.  It will devote special attention to the sources of flexible-load distributed energy resources (DERs) already available to provide flexible and fast response services, and how utilities can leverage these existing resources within their systems.  In addition, it will examine what the organized electricity markets are doing to accommodate these flexibility products and services in their short-term (day-ahead and real-time) markets.  Finally, the program will assess the role that market participants, project developers, and technology providers will play in bringing these services, products, and other strategies into the grid mainstream.

 

Learning Outcomes

Attendees will cover materials and engage in discussions that will allow them to:

• Discuss why flexibility in distribution and grid operations is an issue that now affects utilities, load-serving entities, merchant generators, balance authorities and ISOs
• Discuss the sources of flexible-load distributed energy resources (DERs) already available to provide flexible and fast response services
• Identify planning tools to project short-term and long-term, 15 min, 5 min and other frequency flexibility requirements
• Evaluate specific modeling approaches for aligning operational requirements to meet flexibility needs
• Assess through case studies what some utilities have done to address their flexibility requirements using flexible-load DERs
• Examine how various ISOs are accommodating flexible-load DERs in intra-hour markets and bidding
• Discuss how utilities can convert existing, flexible-load DERs into their dispatch options

 

Credits

EUCI has been accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).  In obtaining this accreditation, EUCI has demonstrated that it  complies with the ANSI/IACET Standard which is recognized internationally as a standard of good practice. As a result of their Authorized Provider status, EUCI is authorized to offer IACET CEUs for its programs that qualify under the ANSI/IACET Standard.

EUCI is authorized by IACET to offer 1.4 CEUs for this conference and 0.4 CEUs for the workshop

Requirements for Successful Completion of Program

Participants must sign in/out each day and be in attendance for the entirety of the conference to be eligible for continuing education credit.

Instructional Methods

PowerPoint presentations and case studies will be used in program.

Monday, September 26, 2016

7:30 – 8:00 a.m. :: Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:00 – 8:15 a.m. :: Welcome and Program Overview

8:15 – 9:00 a.m. :: I. What Is Flexibility and Why Is It a Big Issue All of Sudden?

• Flexibility described
• What are the changes that make flexibility and fast response important
• Where and why is it needed now
• What roles can flexible-load DERs play in contributing to grid solutions

9:00 – 10:00 a.m. :: II. Evaluating Exposure at Utility, Balancing Area and System Operator (Organized Market) Levels

• Fleibility metrics
• Modeling of transition between markets
• “Missing money” problem
• Impact of high renewable energy resources penetration on capacity and reliability
• The “duck curve” over-generation phenomenon
• Negative pricing and curtailment
• Cost of flexibility
• Long-term planning and developing flexible capacity
• Transmission and flexibility requirements

10:00 – 10:15 a.m. :: Morning Break

10:15 – 11:00 a.m.  :: III. What Are Flexible-Load DERs?

• PV (roof-top and roof-less)
• Aggregated behind-the-meter resources
• Community storage
• Flexible storage  devices
  • Grid integrated water heaters (GIWH)
  • Ice storage
• Virtual power plants  (VPP)
• Electric vehicles
• Microgrids
• Commercial building fleet
• Other currently available technology-simple options

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. :: IV.  In the Utility Context, How Are Current and Future Flexible Load Strategies Different from Past Practices?

• Past
  • Demand response
  • Energy efficiency
  • Conservation
  • Baseload-driven generation
• Future
  • Intelligent efficiency
  • Negative pricing
  • Grid interactivity and support
  • Customer awareness, acceptance of two-way electricity functionality
  • Customer participation in time- and price-sensitive electricity rates
  • Role of H.R. 906 and various FERC Orders
  • Dispatchability and intra-hour responsive generation options

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. :: Group Luncheon

1:00 – 2:15 p.m. ::  V.  What Adjustments will be Required to Convert the Promise into Reality?

• Technology-related aspects
  • Inverter-based functions
  • Communications and control
  • Metering and billing
  • Software platform(s)
• Contractual-related aspects
• Utility and market-related aspects
  • Measurement and verification (M&V)
  • Standard system management protocol
  • Net metering and self-supply

2:15 – 3:30 p.m. ::  VI.  Why Controllable, Flexible Load Resources Capabilities Make Sense for Rate-based Utilities

• Electricity in / electricity out / thermal out
• Load-control strategies
  • Creating flex load to follow generation
  • Peak shave
  • Thermal energy storage
  • Fast response
  • Frequency regulation
  • Energy price arbitrage
  • Capacity value capture through curtailment
  • Vertically integrated utility operations
    • Contribute to grid balancing required by renewable energy deployment

3:30 – 3:45 p.m. :: Afternoon Break

VII.   3:45 – 5:15 p.m. :: Why Controllable, Flexible Load Resources Capabilities Make Sense for Rate-based Utilities (Continued)

• Program-related aspects
  • What’s in it for us (utilities)?
  • Does accommodating DERs mean a fundamental change in the traditional business compact?
  • Who initiates program engagement?
  • Does the consumer require active management of appliance?
  • Monthly bill credit or appliance rebate or none of-the-above?

5:15 – 6:15 p.m. ::  Networking Reception

 

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

7:30 – 8:00 a.m. :: Continental Breakfast

8:00 – 10:00 a.m. :: Why Controllable, Flexible Load Resources Capabilities Make Sense for Rate-based Utilities (Continued)

• Valuing grid-related aspects
  • Reliability
    • Pivoting to load that follows generation
    • Support higher penetration of renewable energy
    • Fast response
    • Time-shifting
    • DER integration relationship to traditional generation resources
  • Economics
    • Generation capacity expansion deferral
    •  T&D capital investment deferral
    • Energy load reduction during high-priced hours
    • Frequency regulation
  • Environmental footprint
    • Emissions avoidance/reduction
    • Type of marginal fuel mix displaced

10:00 – 10:15 a.m.  ::  Morning Break

10:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. :: Why Controllable, Flexible Load Resources Capabilities Make Sense for Rate-based Utilities (Continued)

• Market Scenario-Related Aspects
  • Re-structured wholesale markets
    • Follow locational marginal pricing
    • Ancillary services revenue bonus
    • Other FERC Order-based options
    • Transactional mechanisms
  • Procurement considerations
    • DER qualifiers
    • Bidding mechanisms
    • Dispatch capacity and availability

12:00 – 1:00 p.m.  Group Luncheon

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. :: VIII.  The Utility Business Case: Why Should Utilities Embrace New Flexible Load Capabilities?

• Flex load optimizes operations at a fraction of “new build” infrastructure cost
• Ownership models create new product sales and retain existing customers
• Options for utility ownership and growing sales of kWh

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. ::  IX.   The Customer Value Proposition: Why Should Customers Embrace New Grid-interactive Flexible Devices and Rate Structures?

• Customer power to control energy consumption
• Customer power redundancy
• Opportunity for “net” billing of customer power delivered to grid to offset power received from grid (the new utility + customer paradigm)
• For C&I or multiple aggregated resources, the possibility of creating or managing a value-added revenue stream

3:00 – 3:15 p.m. :: Afternoon Break

3:15 – 4:30 p.m. :: X. How Does the Utility Industry Get from Here (Limited Application of Flexible Load Capabilities) to There (Significant Application of Flexible Load Capabilities)?

• Organizational planning
• Commission and regulatory path
• Consumer and stakeholder engagement
• Supplier coordination

4:30 p.m. :: Conference Adjourns

 

Neil Alexander, Utility Services Account Executive, Trane

Frances Cleveland, Chair of the Smart Inverter Working Group (SIWG) and President/ Principal Consultant, Xanthus Consulting

Keith Dennis, Senior Principal – End Use Solutions and Standards, Senior Principal, End-Use Solutions and Standards, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)

Ross Malme, Partner, Skipping Stone

Kelly Murphy, Business Development Specialist, Steffes

Alex Papalexopoulos, President & CEO, ECCO International (ECCO)

Ty Peck, Honeywell Smart Grid Solutions

Josh Rasin, Project Manager – Demand Response R&D, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) invited

Brian Zimmerly, Senior Energy Engineer, SolarCity

Renaissance San Diego
421 W B St
San Diego, CA 92101

To reserve your room, please call 1-619-398-3100

Please indicate that you are with the EUCI group to receive the group rate.

ROOM RATE:

The room rate is $179.00 single or double

ROOM BLOCK DATES:

A room block has been reserved for the nights of September 26 – 28, 2016.

RATE AVAILABLE UNTIL:

Make your reservations prior to September 5, 2016. There are a limited number of rooms available at the conference rate. Please make your reservations early.

REGISTER NOW FOR THIS EVENT:

Flexible and Fast Response Controllable Resources

September 26, 2016 | San Diego,CA

Buy 4 in-person seats and only pay for 3! For this event every fourth in-person attendee is free!

Supporting Organization