3 ms·
Yes, this is sort-of the case in the US, with the quirk that we have 3 major grids: the Eastern Interconnect, the Western Interconnect, and Texas. Within that
by NortySpock 6y ago
Yes, this is sort-of the case in the US, with the quirk that we have 3 major grids: the Eastern Interconnect, the Western Interconnect, and Texas.
Within that are individual utility companies: some are traditional top-down utilities that own both generation and poles-and-wires, vs some utilities are competitively bidding generation (and sometimes bidding consumption). Layer on top of that many interconnected "power market areas".
https://www.epa.gov/greenpower/us-electricity-grid-markets https://www.epa.gov/greenpower/us-electricity-grid-markets
- 7thaccount 6y agoLet me add some detail to your coverage of the interconnects in relation to the more granular power markets. For example, ERCOT (Texas) has a 1:1 relationship with its market, but the rest are different. The Eastern Interconnect has many power markets made up of many many utilities. PJM, NYISO, ISO-NE, SPP, & MISO are the energy markets (called ISOs or RTOs) in the Eastern Interconnect. There is also the government owned TVA and Southern Company which is kinda like a large vertically integrated utility. These markets perform some of the most complex MIP models on the planet in their optimization. FERC Order #841 addresses the incorporation of storage into these markets.