Conventional Water Power: Market Acceleration

Hydropower resources currently play a significant role in meeting power system grid service requirements. However, the vast complex system of hydro resources warrants investigation into the opportunities for more efficiency operation, grid services provision, and expansion of hydro facilities, understanding that the hydro system facilities were originally created with a simpler vision. ORNL will examine these opportunities through identifying systemic constraints (physical, environmental, and regulatory) on hydropower projects and the strategies utilized by river and power control center staff responsible for dispatch at hydropower projects to find linkages between water power grid services and water availability.

All balancing areas have the same basic needs for responsive resources (generation and sometimes load) but they differ in how they obtain these resources. ISOs and RTOs operate sub-hourly and hourly energy markets and hourly ancillary service markets, and vertically integrated utilities schedule generation to provide the same services. SNL will evaluate and analyze existing U.S. energy and ancillary services markets for the application of hydropower relative to other network energy and ancillary services resources, including the anticipated deployment of variable wind generation. An overall comparison on how different markets, market structures, and scheduling practices in non-market areas encourage the best use of both existing and potential hydropower and pumped-storage resources will be carried out.

Grid Services

All balancing areas have the same basic needs for responsive resources (generation and sometimes load) but they differ in how they obtain these resources. ISOs and RTOs operate sub-hourly and hourly energy markets and hourly ancillary service markets, and vertically integrated utilities schedule generation to provide the same services. Sandia will evaluate and analyze existing U. S. energy and ancillary services markets for the application of hydropower relative to other network energy and ancillary services resources, including the anticipated deployment of variable wind generation. The analyses will include grid services, value of grid services, and current market structures. An overall comparison of how different markets, market structures, and scheduling practices in non-market areas encourage the best use of both existing and potential hydropower and pumped-storage resources will be carried out.