Dynamic transfers for integration of renewable resources

In May 2011, the California ISO completed an 18-month stakeholder process for updating its policies for integrating dynamic transfers (dynamic schedules and pseudo-ties) in its markets, and in September 2011, received FERC approval for its tariff revisions. Along with revisions that apply to all types of resources, a significant focus of these tariff revisions is to enable dynamic transfers of variable renewable resources (e.g., wind and solar generation). The increasing reliance on renewable generation, to achieve aggressive targets to reduce the current heavy reliance on natural gas as a fuel for electric generation and to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, presents a variety of emerging challenges in management of California´s transmission grid, electric markets, and system operations. Managing the changes associated with imports of variable resources requires coordination with other system operators throughout the western states, which have differing market structures. The integration of dynamic transfers of variable resources between these markets is being demonstrated through a pilot between the California ISO and Bonneville Power Administration.