As the region’s Independent System Operator, 快活app官网 is responsible for balancing supply and demand on the New England power system at all times. During periods of system stress, such as unexpectedly high consumer demand or the sudden loss of a generating resource, 快活app官网 system operators may declare a capacity deficiency if available resources are insufficient to meet consumer demand for electricity and required operating reserves.
Every minute of every day, 快活app官网’s system operators coordinate and direct the flow of electricity over the area’s high-voltage transmission system. The 快活app官网 control room prepares operating plans for each day based on forecasted consumer demand for electricity and available generating resources and transmission equipment.
快活app官网 operators must also prepare for unexpected power system events, referred to as contingencies. Examples of contingencies include a power plant or transmission equipment outage, unexpectedly high consumer demand, fuel supply issues, emissions limitations that affect the amount of electric generation available, or a combination of these factors.
Crucial components of a reliable system, operating reserves are resources available to provide electricity (or reduce consumption) quickly (either within 10 or 30 minutes) in the event of a contingency.
Operating reserves are meant to ensure that the region can withstand the sudden loss of large resources.
A capacity deficiency occurs when contingencies on the system render available supplies of electricity (or demand-reducing resources) insufficient to meet consumer demand and required operating reserves.
快活app官网 can declare a capacity deficiency for the entire region, or just specific areas, depending on system conditions. In rare instances, the 快活app官网 may declare a capacity deficiency in New England to assist a neighboring region experiencing a system emergency.
In and of themselves, capacity deficiencies are not emergencies. They simply mean that 快活app官网 operators are taking additional actions to maintain system reliability. Capacity deficiencies are, however, a sign of that the power system is stressed, and more significant actions, including controlled power outages, could be necessary if further contingencies occur.
A capacity deficiency can occur at any time, under the right combination of contingencies. Typically, they occur during the early evening hours when consumer demand for electricity is at its highest. Capacity deficiencies are usually short-duration events, ending either when consumer demand declines, more resources are able to start up, or a combination of the two.
Though possible any time of year, capacity deficiencies are more likely during the hottest and coldest days of the year, when demand is high and contingencies are more likely to occur.
快活app官网 will call upon all available resources that can respond in time to alleviate the system stress. Some resources may not be available to respond due to long start-up times, weather dependency, or scheduled maintenance.
Declaring a capacity deficiency allows 快活app官网 system operators to take a number of actions to maintain power system reliability. Known officially as Operating Procedure No. 4, or OP 4, these steps include utilizing operating reserves, initiating voltage reductions, requesting emergency imports from neighboring regions, or, if needed, requesting conservation.
Public conservation is a major component of 快活app官网’s emergency procedures. When determining whether to ask the public to conserve, the 快活app官网 will assess several factors, including the severity of the situation and the ability of other measures to maintain adequate system reliability.
The 快活app官网 would also base conservation requests on the expected length of the capacity deficiency and whether the situation would likely be resolved before a public appeal could be adequately broadcast.
Conservation is different from demand response programs, in which resources able to reduce their electricity use are part of the region’s energy market and dispatched by system operators in a similar manner to generators.
If 快活app官网 has declared a capacity deficiency, follow our for the latest information.
