The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) is asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to allow limited energy storage resources (LESR) – which includes battery and flywheel technologies – to provide the regulation service needed to balance electrical supply and demand on the grid.
‘The variable nature of wind generation poses special challenges to grid operators, such as the NYISO, who must constantly balance the supply of and demand for electricity on the grid,’ says,’ says Stephen G. Whitley, NYISO president and CEO. ‘Flywheels, batteries and other energy storage systems expand our ability to address those needs.’
Energy-storage devices offer complementary technologies to the integration of renewable resources such as wind power. Flywheel and battery system devices store electricity as kinetic or chemical energy to provide power to the system when it is needed.
Regulation is now provided by power plants that increase or decrease output in response to system needs. LESRs can instantaneously switch from being a load to a generator, thus providing regulation service similar to that of a conventional power plant.
Demand for electricity fluctuates throughout the day and the power to serve the demand must be generated and transported instantaneously. By expanding the resources available to provide regulation service, market competition may positively influence the cost of providing this component of electric service.
The NYISO is requesting that FERC approve changes in the NYISO tariff to permit LESRs to provide regulation service by mid-May.
SOURCE: The New York Independent System Operator
