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New Actions Underway to "Green the Grid" pdf 33K | Abstract | 12/13/2007 17:04

Integrating Renewable Resources pdf 1371K | Abstract | 05/29/2007 16:12

The California Independent System Operator (California ISO) is committed to obtaining enough power to "keep the lights on" in California, while at the same time, striving to improve the environment. California ISO does this in several ways: Conservation/Energy Efficiency California ISO has consistently encouraged people to use less power, especially during the summer peak use hours of late afternoon and early evening. This helps lower the peak demand for power, and reduces the number of hours that "peaker plants" must be used to meet demand. These units are often gas-fired combustion turbines that do not have the sophisticated scrubber units that reduce air pollution. Using them less has a significant positive impact on air quality. Power Watch Public Awareness Campaign In the year 2000, California ISO successfully launched Power Watch a unique media campaign to alert consumers to peak demand conditions and make a public appeal to use electricity wisely. When an ISO power forecast includes thinning power reserves, an eye-catching Power Watch news release, including the latest grid conditions and conservation tips are delivered by fax and e-mail to newsrooms up and down the state. The Power Watch Campaign has delivered thousands of conservation messages to millions of Californians. Efficiency Tips In cooperation with a variety of state agencies and local utilities, California ISO offers tips on how to reduce energy usage. The ISO website (www.caiso.com) has become an important source for people who want to learn more about using less electricity in their homes and businesses. The site gives timely and easy to understand updates about the status of the ISO control area and offers advice and tips on energy efficiency and conservation. Renewable Energy The California ISO is the first organization of its kind to respond to the unique needs of "intermittent resources" like wind and solar generators when the output can fluctuate with wind or cloud cover. The ISO is working with these generators to implement better forecasting tools and more accurate schedules for the expected amount of energy on a daily and even hourly basis. The ISO is also offering these resources within a special monthly settlement process. If they generate less than anticipated one day, it'll likely be made up another day when wind or sun conditions are better than expected. Distributed Generation Small generators, used as back-ups or in some cases as the primary source of power for commercial and industrial sites can be a significant resource for California. California ISO's systems were not originally intended to deal with generators of less than one megawatt, but a new pilot program allows an aggregator to combine the output of several small units and offer this power to the ISO. This is a test program at this point, but if successful, it could help California meet its peak demand for power, decreasing the need for new large power plants.