The Energy Reliability Assessment Task Force (ERATF) will assess risks associated with unassured energy supplies, including the timing and inconsistent output from variable renewable energy resources, fuel location, and volatility in forecasted load, which can result in insufficient amounts of energy on the system to serve electrical demand.
The ERATF serves the Reliability and Security Technical Committee (RSTC) in providing a formal process to analyze and collaborate with stakeholders to address the issues identified in the
Ensuring Energy Adequacy with Energy-Constrained Resources whitepaper. This whitepaper identified energy availability concerns related to operations, operations planning, and mid- to long-term planning horizons.
Future considerations related to the reliability of energy are more complex and should consist of the use of utility and non-utility assets in different manners as compared to a historical view. In order to effectively accommodate this type of complexity, the industry needs to assess the current processes and expectations to ensure the basics are covered. The ERATF are implementing the following activities:
- Provide information to industry on the issues
- Support industry readiness and success on this topic
- Foster, coordinate, and facilitate activities of industry and RSTC sub-groups around the issues, risk, and potential mitigations or course corrections
- Gather industry feedback around recommended solutions that are actionable by either registered entities or industry groups (membership forums, trade associations, and technical committees, etc.)
- Evaluate options for industry outreach
- Develop suggested recommendations related to the issues
- Present work outcomes to the RSTC for awareness
- Determine appropriate path for recommendations to be considered and action taken
- For planning, operational planning, and operation's time horizons, identify the parameters for tools and methods that can identify the right mix of resources to ensure sufficient amounts of energy are available:
- To serve demand
- Meet ramping requirements at all times and
- Ensure the required energy can be delivered from the source to the end user
The ERATF will provide suggestions on issues for discussion and recommendations to the RSTC. Understanding energy availability, and by extension fuel availability, compared to capacity requires advanced consideration of multiple technologies and concepts.
In December of 2021, the ERATF prepared a draft Standard Authorization Request (SAR) and submitted it to the RSTC and Member Representative Committee Policy Input letter for comments. The draft SAR pertained to ensuring energy adequacy with energy-constrained resources. It addressed topics such as energy availability assessments, potential action plans, energy assurance, and fuel assurance risks. The ERATF has evaluated comments, and memorialized its review in the following documents:
Consideration of Comments - RSTC
Consideration of Comments - Policy Input
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