New England has enough wind energy to power more than a million homes when all the turbines are spinning. Over the years, ISO New England has undertaken a number of initiatives to integrate wind resources into the region’s power system. These videos detail the work being done behind the scenes at ISO New England to weave wind energy into our operations, markets, and system planning procedures.
Mike Knowland, operations forecast and scheduling supervisor, talks about the importance of having an accurate forecast of wind power production. For ISO system operators, knowing how hard the wind is blowing is critically important to maintaining power system reliability.
Chief Economist Matthew White describes the coordinated system of communication between wind generators and ISO New England’s control room that allows the region to access the competitive prices presented by wind energy, while maintaining a reliable system.
Al McBride, director of transmission strategy and services, explains the difficulty of connecting wind farms being developed in remote areas of New England where the transmission system can’t always transmit large quantities of energy to be used elsewhere. To help wind developers achieve the economies of scale needed to make the necessary transmission upgrades, ISO New England developed rules to let them pool resources.
