mfarmer.bsky.social
clean energy policy, strategy, and law
162 posts
2,429 followers
1,023 following
Prolific Poster
Conversation Starter
comment in response to
post
Fair. VRE doesn’t help much in ‘very low VRE’ hours. But remember, you can also use surplus interconnection to connect storage! Use cases include storage at low capacity factor fossil sites and adding storage to existing wind/solar that has seen accreditation cut with increased penetration.
comment in response to
post
A Tuesday night get together sounds good to me
comment in response to
post
There can be capacity value in addition to fuel value. The combined resource is more likely to show up than the single one. But this depends on grid operator rules that allow for accessing the capacity value and an underlying capacity accreditation regime that gives it credit.
comment in response to
post
Argh, I need an edit button. The process "to" hook up to the system...
comment in response to
post
Even scratching the surface of the potential could play a big role in meeting the demands of growing load across the country. But that will take concerted action from grid operators, state regulators, and market participants. Significant positive steps forward are being taken in PJM and elsewhere.
comment in response to
post
Our report accompanies a technical analysis demonstrating tremendous potential (thousands of gigawatts!) for surplus interconnection across the country. www.scarcitytosurplus.com @ricoconnell.bsky.social
comment in response to
post
Also, this seems like a decent summary. But it would be nice if it acknowledged that the firm is currently suing FERC claiming that its structure violates the Constitution. www.jenner.com/en/news-insi...
comment in response to
post
Yes, how FERC and its staff respond will be critical here. Definitely an issue to watch closely.
comment in response to
post
But this administration seems determined to push the boundaries of settled Supreme Court precedent on independent agencies (Humphrey's Executor), so the court challenges are very high stakes: www.nytimes.com/2025/02/16/u...
comment in response to
post
President Trump cannot overturn the DOE Org. Act via executive order. That would take an act of Congress.
comment in response to
post
The DOE Org. Act is also clear that @FERC staff do not report to anyone in the Department of Energy except the Chair (subject to certain exceptions like each Commissioner's staff report just to that Commissioner).
comment in response to
post
Recommended reading on this topic is the DOE Organization Act. Link below. www.ferc.gov/media/depart.... For questions like the @ferc.gov chair's control over representation in court, the law is clear that FERC's own lawyers represent the Commission except at the Supreme Court:
comment in response to
post
But we need an appropriate regulatory framework that allocates costs properly, among other things. elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/fil... It will be interesting to see what FERC comes up with.
comment in response to
post
Co-location can be very efficient, reducing total infrastructure costs and study burden for grid operators: energyinnovation.org/wp-content/u...
comment in response to
post
Still no action on ISO-NE’s interconnection rule compliance filing, even though it is crunch time to avoid large consumer cost impacts in the upcoming 19th capacity auction www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-is...
comment in response to
post
I didn't work on that docket. I'd ask @gabetabak.bsky.social or someone else who did
comment in response to
post
You can find more info on surplus interconnection here, including a short Policy Explainer that Abe Silverman and I put together with GridLab. More to come soon! www.scarcitytosurplus.com
comment in response to
post
Yes, the prior tariff, as implemented, was totally unworkable and disqualified all of the primary use cases. PJM’s proposal removed those restrictions so that projects that don’t trigger a need for network upgrades can move forward.
comment in response to
post
Yes. Surplus interconnection provides for a separate fast-track study process