ERCOT has attracted a full house for its first Innovation Summit, featuring thought leaders in energy research and innovation exploring “solutions that use innovation to impact grid transformation.”
The grid operator says in-person attendance has been filled for the May 21 event in Austin, Texas. However, streaming is available.
ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas said the summit is necessary to address the grid’s rapid transformation and changes to the resource mix, decentralization of generation, electrification, emerging prosumers and digitization.
“The summit is an opportunity for stakeholders from Texas and around the country to collectively discuss these transformation opportunities and challenges,” he said in a news release.
Panel discussions will feature industry executives and subject matter experts on essential reliability services, demand flexibility, uncertainty management, energy storage resources, transmission planning and technology trends. The summit is open to ERCOT market participants, vendors, grid operators, academia and research labs interested in understanding how the transformation is shaping the grid’s future, the ISO said.
“The summit will be an invaluable opportunity for stakeholders wanting to immerse in discussion, network with industry peers and brainstorm solutions for using innovation to impact transformation,” said Venkat Tirupati, ERCOT’s vice president of DevOps and grid transformation.
More Time on CPS Shutdowns
ERCOT said April 10 it needs additional time to conduct its reliability analysis of CPS Energy’s planned retirement of three aging gas-fired units in 2025.
The grid operator’s protocols require it to complete a reliability assessment when an entity notifies staff that it intends to shut down a resource. Market participants had until April 3 to submit comments on the utility’s proposal.
The San Antonio municipality notified ERCOT in March that it intended to “indefinitely suspend operations” of three steam turbines at its V.H. Braunig facility. The units have a combined summer seasonal net maximum sustainable rating of 859 MW. (See CPS Energy Plans to Retire 859 MW of Gas Resources.)
