RAP is funded by the Western Governors’ Association (WGA) and the U.S. Department of Energy to support Phase III of the Western Renewable Energy Zones (WREZ) Initiative, which aims to develop areas in the Western Interconnection with abundant, high-quality renewable resources and establish an efficient network of interstate transmission lines to deliver the energy to load centers. In June 2012, as part of WREZ Phase III, WGA issued a report on the challenge of meeting the renewable energy goals of Western states at least cost. This report points toward the importance of dynamic scheduling, among other measures, for meeting state renewable energy standards. The report also identified the need to conduct outreach and disseminate information to stakeholders on the implications of dynamic transfer limits and potential system impacts of dynamic scheduling in order to help identify solutions.

In this presentation, RAP and our technical consultants from ZGlobal Engineering & Energy Solutions introduce the topic of dynamic transfers to stakeholders in the Western Interconnection. We explain, a) the WREZ initiative, b) the difference between static and dynamic scheduling, c) the historical uses of dynamic transfers in the West, d) the advantages of using dynamic transfers to integrate renewable energy resources, e) the relations between dynamic scheduling and other wholesale market initiatives in the Western Interconnection, f) some of the expected challenges of using more dynamic transfers, and g) possible next steps for stakeholders.