On Monday, The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) announced a new initiative to ensure an effective electricity supply. Particularly, the initiative will achieve this by better anticipating and assessing risks to power supply resources due to extreme weather and other hazards.
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Indeed, through the initiative, EPRI aims to address emerging resource adequacy risks. For instance, to illustrate, the organization recalled recent power disruptions in areas including Texas and California.
The initiative’s goals
According to EPRI, the project brings together grid operators, utilities, researchers, and other key stakeholders from across the electric power industry. Accordingly, the initiative will accelerate the evolution of resource adequacy (RA) processes; also, of tools for a decarbonized energy system “that must serve society in the face of increasing threats” the non-profit organization added.
In this regard, EPRI President and CEO Arshad Mansoor commented in a media release; “Utilities are transforming with their foot on the accelerator.” In fact, “in markets around the world, the power sector is reshaping energy systems while responding to emerging challenges.”
Particularly, the initiative is focused on four key areas developing metrics, criteria, and scenarios to assess risk and guide investment decisions. Also, on creating models and data to characterize how system resources perform under all operating conditions.
Similarly, the project aims to accelerate the development of resource adequacy assessment tools. And lastly, to demonstrating the value of new approaches through “real world” applications.
Therefore, “serving tomorrow’s energy customer means anticipating and preparing for high-impact events when, where, and how they may occur;” Mansoor added. Thus, “through this initiative, EPRI is leading industry-level collaboration; particularly, to understand and overcome power supply challenges before they happen.”
Reception in EPRI and NAERC
Similarly, Mark Lauby, senior vice president and chief engineer at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation said; “Reliably meeting electricity needs 24/7 is increasingly important as electrification expands, becoming even more vital to the nearly 400 million people we serve in North America.”
Moreover, through NERC’s collaboration with EPRI and other industry leaders, they are preparing for the transformation of the grid. Particularly, with the aim to ensure “that resilience is sustained and improved, as the grid becomes more decarbonized, decentralized and digitized,” Lauby added.
As the organization noted, the initiative’s focus on ensuring RA comes at an important time in the history of electric power generation and delivery in the U.S. Indeed, the electric sector is currently critical to decarbonizing the full U.S. economy. Besides, society is increasingly depending on electricity in the future for vital services.
In this sense, the expanding presence of variable renewable generation must adapt to; and also support new dynamics of energy generation and consumption. Additionally, this new dynamic must also assess the current context; in which severe storms and other weather impacts are more frequent.
Finally, the project will continuously build its coalition of participants. Besides, the non-profit organization expects to continue through the Q1 2023.
