Large Scale Generator Interconnection Processes and Challenges
Date: June 14, 2023
Time: 9 AM to 10 AM (PST)
Speakers: Sarah Davis, Sangeetha Rajasekeran and Jillian Huweart.
Register: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/361500
Summary:
With the United States’ ambitious renewable energy goals, the demand for large-scale (>20MW) generator interconnection (GI) services has increased significantly, leading to longer interconnection queues and longer wait times for developers. Understanding how large-scale projects are studied in the interconnection process is crucial for developers, policy makers, and other stakeholders involved in the renewable energy sector. Transmission Service Providers (TSPs) are responsible for studying and evaluating large-scale generator interconnection requests to ensure the safe and reliable integration of new energy resources into the electric grid. TSPs use a variety of technical studies to evaluate the impacts of large-scale GI requests. These processes and technical studies can vary by region and can significantly impact the feasibility of a renewable energy project.
This presentation will provide a high-level overview of the interconnection processes for large-scale generator projects in the United States. We will explore a variety of different study practices, including those in MISO, PJM, SPP, ERCOT, and TSPs in the Western Interconnect. The presentation will also touch base on challenges TSPs are experiencing with the volume of GI requests in queues across the country.
Speakers:
Sarah Davis is a Power Systems Engineer with 12+ years of experience in the Electricity Sector of the Energy Industry. Sarah started her career at Puget Sound Energy, where she gained experience as a System Protection Engineer, Energy Delivery Engineer, and a Transmission Planning engineer. She then went on to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory where she performed a variety of DOE funded research on bulk grid resilience, electrification, decarbonization, microgrids, and more. Today Sarah works at Apex Clean Energy, a renewable energy developer, as a Transmission Manager, leading transmission planning analytics in the Western Interconnect to guide the placement and interconnection strategy for new large-scale wind, solar, and energy storage. Sarah is a licensed Professional Engineer, with a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington.
Sangeetha Rajasekeran is a Transmission Planning Engineer with Apex Clean Energy specializing in NERC-compliant reliability studies and transmission planning across multiple regional transmission organizations (RTOs) in the United States. With expertise in transmission analytics, production cost modeling and Python programming, she has successfully developed automation systems to perform critical studies and devised strategies to mitigate transmission risk for projects in the MISO, PJM, WECC, SPP, and ERCOT footprints. Prior to her work at Apex Clean Energy, she conducted graduate level research on strategies to incorporate Combined Heat and Power (CHP) load in wholesale markets and demand response programs. Sangeetha has a master’s degree in electrical engineering (Power Systems) from Virginia Tech and has a Bachelor of Technology degree from National Institute of Technology, Trichy, India.
Jillian Huweart is a Transmission Planning Engineer with over 3 years of experience in Electric Utilities and Renewable Generation Development. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, with a concentration in electric power, and a minor in history. She is currently pursuing a Master’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University. Throughout her career, she has worked on a variety of projects across the Electric Transmission and Distribution space, ranging from real-time Energy Management Systems and circuit reliability metrics to long term power flow studies. In her current role at Apex Clean Energy, she is focused on prospecting future renewable generation projects in the ERCOT region, studying both the transmission reliability and economics of new projects in Texas.