Balancing authority

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A balancing authority (BA) is an entity in the US electric system (as well as in parts of Canada and Mexico) that is responsible for grid balancing: resource planning and unit commitment ahead of time, maintenance of the load-interchange-generation balance within a balancing authority area (also known as a control area) and support for real-time load-frequency control. [1] The balancing authorities are connected by metered high-voltage tie lines [2] [3] and grouped into interconnections: [4] [5]

Contents

Implementation

A typical balancing authority is an electric utility with an added responsibility to maintain a fine balance between the production and consumption of electricity, including ensuring availability of sufficient on-line generation resources and managing the electricity transfers from (and to) other balancing authorities. [4]

Balancing authorities operation is guided by mandatory reliability standards created by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and approved by the US (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) and Canadian regulators. [4] The enforcement authority is delegated to regional entities (8 in the US). [6] To coordinate activities across multiple BAs, a reliability coordinator entity (RC) is used that has the power to reduce or cancel the interchange transactions and adjust the dispatch plans. [7] Frequently the same utility plays multiple roles, for example, CAISO, in addition to being an independent system operator, is also operating under the name RC West as a reliability coordinator for 42 balancing authorities and transmission operators in the Western interconnection. [8] The interactions between the BAs and RCs can be compared to the ones between pilots and air traffic controllers. [3]

A meter on a tie-line is shared between the two BAs interconnected by this line. [9]

Operation

A balancing authority has the following responsibilities: [6]

The coordination tasks are performed by the balancing authority staff and the automatic generation control (AGC) systems. [6] The quantitative estimate of the balancing is provided through area control error (ACE, measured in MW [10] ), [7] that as an indicator is conceptually similar to the role the frequency deviation plays at the interconnection level: positive ACE is pushing interconnection frequency higher. [11]

The operation of a BA is guided by two primary external inputs [9] (that together form the ACE [10] ):

To maintain the balance, a BA will dispatch the generators and, in some cases, will control the load [3] with the goal to keep the ACE within predefined limits that are usually set to be proportional to the total load services by the BA. The control is maintained by multiple means: direct control of the generators by the computer systems, dispatch orders to power plants communicated by phone, load shedding in emergencies, and exchanging the electricity with other BAs. [15]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">North American Electric Reliability Corporation</span>

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) is a nonprofit corporation based in Atlanta, Georgia, and formed on March 28, 2006, as the successor to the North American Electric Reliability Council. The original NERC was formed on June 1, 1968, by the electric utility industry to promote the reliability and adequacy of bulk power transmission in the electric utility systems of North America. NERC's mission states that it "is to assure the effective and efficient reduction of risks to the reliability and security of the grid".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utility frequency</span> Frequency used on standard electricity grid in a given area

The utility frequency, (power) line frequency or mains frequency is the nominal frequency of the oscillations of alternating current (AC) in a wide area synchronous grid transmitted from a power station to the end-user. In large parts of the world this is 50 Hz, although in the Americas and parts of Asia it is typically 60 Hz. Current usage by country or region is given in the list of mains electricity by country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional transmission organization (North America)</span> Electric power coordinator

A regional transmission organization (RTO) in the United States is an electric power transmission system operator (TSO) that coordinates, controls, and monitors a multi-state electric grid. The transfer of electricity between states is considered interstate commerce, and electric grids spanning multiple states are therefore regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The voluntary creation of RTOs was initiated by FERC Order No. 2000, issued on December 20, 1999. The purpose of the RTO is to promote economic efficiency, reliability, and non-discriminatory practices while reducing government oversight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas Interconnection</span> Power grid providing power to most of Texas

The Texas Interconnection is an alternating current (AC) power grid – a wide area synchronous grid – that covers most of the state of Texas. The grid is managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Interconnection</span> Power grid in eastern North America

The Eastern Interconnection is one of the two major alternating-current (AC) electrical grids in the North American power transmission grid. The other major interconnection is the Western Interconnection. The three minor interconnections are the Quebec, Alaska, and Texas interconnections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ReliabilityFirst</span>

ReliabilityFirst (RF) is one of the six Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission)-approved regional entities responsible for ensuring the reliability of the North American Bulk-Power System, pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. ReliabilityFirst performs this function pursuant to and under its delegation agreement with North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), which is the Commission-approved Electric Reliability Organization. NERC and the Regional Entities are non-governmental, self-regulatory organizations that were created in recognition of, among other things, the complex, interconnected, and international nature of the North American Bulk Power-System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Electricity Coordinating Council</span> Entity responsible for compliance monitoring and enforcement

The Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) promotes Bulk Electric System (BES) reliability for the entire Western Interconnection system. WECC is the Regional Entity responsible for compliance monitoring and enforcement. In addition, WECC provides an environment for the development of Reliability Standards and the coordination of the operating and planning activities of its members as set forth in the WECC Bylaws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Reliability Coordinating Council</span>

The Florida Reliability Coordinating Council (FRCC) was (until 2019) one of the Regional Entities (REs) that were delegated authority to ensure reliability by North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) in North America and was formed on September 16, 1996. The area served by FRCC was previously served by SERC Reliability Corporation (SERC), RE functions of FRCC were transferred back to SERC in July 2019. NERC and the regional reliability councils were formed following the Northeast Blackout of 1965. FRCC's offices were located in Tampa, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeast Power Coordinating Council</span>

The Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC) was formed January 19, 1966, as a successor to the Canada–United States Eastern Interconnection (CANUSE). It was formed in order to improve reliability of electric service. NPCC is one of six regional entities under North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) authority. NERC and the regional reliability councils were formed following the Northeast Blackout of 1965. NPCC's offices are located in New York City, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest Power Pool</span> American power-grid non-profit in the central Southern US

Southwest Power Pool (SPP) manages the electric grid and wholesale power market for the central United States. As a regional transmission organization, the nonprofit corporation is mandated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to ensure reliable supplies of power, adequate transmission infrastructure and competitive wholesale electricity prices. Southwest Power Pool and its member companies coordinate the flow of electricity across approximately 60,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines spanning 14 states. The company is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas.

A NERC Tag, also commonly referred to as an E-Tag, represents a transaction on the North American bulk electricity market scheduled to flow within, between or across electric utility company territories. The NERC Tag is named for the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), which is the entity that was responsible for the implementation of the first energy tagging processes. NERC Tags were first introduced in 1997, in response to the need to track the increasingly complicated energy transactions which were produced as a result of the beginning of electric deregulation in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PJM Interconnection</span>

PJM Interconnection LLC (PJM) is a regional transmission organization (RTO) in the United States. It is part of the Eastern Interconnection grid operating an electric transmission system serving all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Brunswick System Operator</span>

The New Brunswick System Operator (NBSO) was an independent not-for-profit statutory corporation created under New Brunswick's Electricity Act on October 1, 2004. Under the Act, the NBSO was responsible for the adequacy and reliability of the integrated electricity system, and for facilitating the development and operation of the New Brunswick Electricity Market. These responsibilities took the form of operation of the NBSO-controlled grid and administration of the Open Access Transmission Tariff (Tariff) and the New Brunswick Electricity Market Rules.

Grid balancing ensures that electricity consumption matches electricity production of an electrical grid at any moment. Electricity is by its nature difficult to store and has to be available on demand, so the supply shall match the demand very closely at any time despite the continuous variations of both. In a deregulated grid, a transmission system operator is responsible for the balancing. In a wide area synchronous grid the short-term balancing is coupled with frequency control: as long as the balance is maintained, the frequency stays constant, whenever a small mismatch between aggregate demand and aggregate supply occurs, it is restored due to both supply and demand being frequency-sensitive: lower frequency increases the supply, and higher frequency increases the demand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North American power transmission grid</span> Series of electrical grids that power the US and Canada

The electrical power grid that powers Northern America is not a single grid, but is instead divided into multiple wide area synchronous grids. The Eastern Interconnection and the Western Interconnection are the largest. Three other regions include the Texas Interconnection, the Quebec Interconnection, and the Alaska Interconnection. Each region delivers power at a nominal 60 Hz frequency. The regions are not usually directly connected or synchronized to each other, but there exist some HVDC interconnectors. The Eastern and Western grids are connected with 1.32 GW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska Interconnection</span>

The Alaska Interconnection (ASCC) is an AC power transmission grid in North America that serves Central and Southeast Alaska. While the Alaska Interconnection is often referred to as one interconnected grid, its two parts are not connected to each other through interconnectors, nor are the two grids connected to any other interconnection, making the grids in Alaska isolated circuits. Both grids, though, are managed by the Alaska Systems Coordinating Council (ASCC) as if they were one entity like the other interconnections in North America. ASCC was formed in 1983 and is an affiliate North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) member.

Power system operations is a term used in electricity generation to describe the process of decision-making on the timescale from one day to minutes prior to the power delivery. The term power system control describes actions taken in response to unplanned disturbances in order to provide reliable electric supply of acceptable quality. The corresponding engineering branch is called Power System Operations and Control. Electricity is hard to store, so at any moment the supply (generation) shall be balanced with demand. In an electrical grid the task of real-time balancing is performed by a regional-based control center, run by an electric utility in the traditional electricity market. In the restructured North American power transmission grid, these centers belong to balancing authorities numbered 74 in 2016, the entities responsible for operations are also called independent system operators, transmission system operators. The other form of balancing resources of multiple power plants is a power pool. The balancing authorities are overseen by reliability coordinators.

Resource adequacy in the field of electric power is the ability of the electric grid to satisfy the end-user power demand at any time. RA is a component of the electric system reliability. For example, sufficient unused generation capacity shall be available to the electrical grid at any time to accommodate equipment failures and drops in variable renewable energy sources. The adequacy standard should satisfy the chosen reliability index, typically the loss of load expectation (LOLE) of 1 day in 10 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional entity</span> Regional electric energy reliability organization

A regional entity (RE) in the North American power transmission grid is a regional organization representing all segments of the electric industry: electric utilities, federal agencies, independent power producers, power market operators, and end-users of the energy. North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) delegates to REs authority to enforce reliability standards, collectively REs, together with NERC, are known as an "ERO Enterprise".

References

  1. ↑ Glossary of Terms Used in Reliability Standards. North American Electric Reliability Corporation, p. 2. February 8, 2005.
  2. ↑ PJM. "Tie Lines". PJM Interconnection . Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 NERC 2011, p. 6.
  4. 1 2 3 U.S. electric system is made up of interconnections and balancing authorities. Energy Information Administration (EIA.gov), July 20.2016.
  5. ↑ NERC 2021, pp. 1–2.
  6. 1 2 3 WECC.
  7. 1 2 NERC 2018, p. 8.
  8. ↑ CAISO. "RC West Entities" (PDF). California Independent System Operator.
  9. 1 2 NERC 2011, p. 9.
  10. 1 2 NERC 2011, p. 10.
  11. ↑ NERC 2011, p. 11.
  12. ↑ NERC 2021, p. 11.
  13. ↑ NERC 2021, p. 20.
  14. ↑ NERC 2021, pp. 11–12.
  15. ↑ NERC 2011, pp. 9–10.

Sources

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