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EPSA Urges Balanced Approach to Variable Resource Integration
"[D]ue to their differing characteristics, large-scale integration of such resources must be carefully considered to ensure that: grid reliability is maintained, well-functioning market mechanisms remain in place, comparability among resources is maintained, and necessary products are developed that appropriately compensate investment by conventional generation resources, which will remain the primary suppliers of electricity under any scenario, to support these new variable power supply sources."
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA) today filed comments with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) urging the thoughtful integration of variable energy resources (VERs) into the electric grid. EPSA encouraged FERC to develop a full record in the proceeding through technical conferences and expanded opportunities for comments prior to enacting reforms.
EPSA's comments noted that "EPSA agrees that VERs and other renewable resources provide environmental and other potential benefits to consumers. However, due to their differing characteristics, large-scale integration of such resources must be carefully considered to ensure that: grid reliability is maintained, well-functioning market mechanisms remain in place, comparability among resources is maintained, and necessary products are developed that appropriately compensate investment by conventional generation resources, which will remain the primary suppliers of electricity under any scenario, to support these new variable power supply sources."
EPSA went on to urge "a balanced approach by the Commission with respect to potential changes, with an eye towards the effects on other policy initiatives that are or have been under consideration in other proceedings, including transmission planning and cost allocation, smart grid development, demand response and energy efficiency integration. These issues are inter-related in the overall effort to respond in a manner that will be sustainable to requirements of national and state energy and environmental policy mandates. EPSA requests that as a next step in this proceeding, the Commission establish a series of technical conferences to allow for further discussion of the appropriate operational and performance requirements, technology, and products needed to move forward on large scale VERs integration."
EPSA's comments were in response to a Notice of Inquiry issued by the Commission to examine the market and operational issues surrounding integration of VERs and focused on VER integration in the organized markets. For a thorough discussion on integration issues in the bi-lateral markets EPSA referred the Commission to similar comments filed by the Independent Power Producers Coalition of the West (IPPC-W).
CONTACT: JOHN SHELK
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EPSA is the national trade association representing competitive power suppliers, including generators and marketers. These suppliers, who account for nearly 40 percent of the installed generating capacity in the United States, provide reliable and competitively priced electricity from environmentally responsible facilities serving global power markets. EPSA seeks to bring the benefits of competition to all power customers.