New tools and data to support ISO’s interconnection process
As part of our ongoing work to improve how new generating resources connect to the grid, the California Independent System Operator (ISO) will soon unveil its new Grid Resource Interconnection Portal and a Points of Interconnection Heatmap.
Grid Resource Interconnection Portal
Over the past year, the ISO has worked closely with stakeholders to improve the ISO’s interconnection process. Our new Grid Resource Interconnection Portal (GRIP) is part of that effort and will give interested parties more accessible information to more efficiently move projects through the interconnection process.
Scheduled to launch on Oct. 1, the new portal will streamline the process for integrating new energy resources, enhance coordination among various stakeholders, and improve management of interconnection requests.
Once it’s operational and available on the ISO website, participants and ISO employees will have an interactive platform where they can, among other things:
- Submit a request to interconnect a project to the grid
- Provide clear information for transmission owners to understand the interconnection projects within their service area
- Review data, communicate deficiencies, and enable users to resolve data issues
- Track the study process, coordinate cluster study activities, and ensure participants are aware of required actions and overall progress
- Calculate required payments and communicate with participants on financial obligations
- Create and modify interconnection agreements
- Track construction progress after a Generator Interconnection Agreement is signed
Scheduled to launch on Oct. 1, the new portal will streamline the process for integrating new energy resources, enhance coordination among various stakeholders, and improve management of interconnection requests.
FERC Order No. 2023
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Order No. 2023 requires system operators nationwide to improve their interconnection processes. The ISO has leaned heavily into creation of the interactive Grid Resource Interconnection Portal to help us meet and track required milestones, increasing the speed of interconnection queue processing and incorporating technological advancements into the interconnection process.
In addition, the portal will support the proposed changes to the ISO interconnection process that the ISO has requested the FERC to rule on by Oct. 1. It is crucial that the ISO maintain progress and add efficiency to the reformed interconnection process to connect new clean energy resources to the system at an accelerated pace.
With this new portal, stakeholders will have – literally at their fingertips – the resources needed to coordinate their interconnection requests. With funding from the Department of Energy, the ISO will work to add specialized functionality for California state agencies and key stakeholders, enabling them to develop and track key metrics for interconnection progress, improved coordination, transparency, and accountability to meet state reliability and policy goals.
Points of Interconnection Heatmap
Along with the new portal, ISO is releasing a Points of Interconnection Heatmap on September 20.
This heatmap will show points of interconnection, with capacity, so stakeholders can see where they can interconnect to the grid. It is highly interactive with the ability to add filters for various categories and will include a map of physical points of interconnection to provide a simple, visual representation.
Creating this heatmap was a requirement of FERC Order No. 2023 and the tool will ease some of the challenges of the process and, like the Grid Resource Interconnection Portal, help create a more transparent and streamlined process.
Resource Interconnection Standards Fair
For our stakeholders who are interested in learning more about these new tools, the ISO will host a Resource Interconnection Standards Fair on September 17. One of the features of the fair will be to go over these tools in more detail.
This fair, which will be offered both in person and virtually, is the best place for stakeholders to delve into the changes being implemented in the interconnection process. Topics include regulatory contracts, queue management, and new resource implementation so please join us.
We know that the interconnection process can be cumbersome and we believe our enhancements and these new tools will help create a more seamless, faster and easier to use interconnection process.
