CAISO maintained normal grid operations during the Oct. 14 solar eclipse, with swings in solar production that were more muted than models based on clear-sky conditions.
Market Monitors Joe Bowring and David Patton have doubts about the wisdom of large-scale transmission expansions, warning they may crowd out market solutions.
The Western Power Pool floated a plan to revamp transmission planning in the West to spur development of the kind of large-scale transmission projects FERC’s Order 1000 has failed to produce.
As CAISO grapples with an “unprecedented” surge in interconnection requests, it has proposed prioritizing requests in zones where transmission capacity now exists or is under development.
When it comes to choosing between Western day-ahead market offerings, who else is participating in the market is a key consideration, a representative of a New Mexico utility said.
Western stakeholders expressed enthusiasm for the West-Wide Governance Pathway Initiative but called for more transparency in developing a regional market.
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission last week said it will not join with other state regulators in an initiative to lay the groundwork for an independent RTO designed to serve the entire Western Interconnection.