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">Utility frequency</span> Frequency used on standard electricity grid in a given area

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeast Power Coordinating Council</span> Regional electric energy reliability organization

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.

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

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska Interconnection</span> American AC power transmission grid

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<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".

Electrical grid security in the United States involves the physical and cybersecurity of the United States electrical grid. The smart grid allows energy customers and energy providers to more efficiently manage and generate electricity. Similar to other new technologies, the smart grid also introduces new security concerns.

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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