July 12, 2021
In recent years, the integration of an ever-increasing amount of intermittent renewables coupled with severe weather has challenged the operation of energy markets across the United States. Most notably, the recent storm-induced power crisis in Texas due to Winter Storm Uri in February resulted in ERCOT implementing rotating power outages. High temperatures in California resulted in the CAISO issuing flex alerts for power conservation and ultimately implementing rolling power outages as well. Policymakers across both regional transmission organizations (RTOs) have responded by elevating the importance of reliability, but there remains a lack of clear direction regarding the most efficient and cost-effective alternatives.