Market Design Projects
Allocating Costs of Shared Transmission Project.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and the New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel (“New Jersey State Agencies”) retained TCR in FERC Docket No. EL15-95-003 to prepare an affidavit reviewing the methodologies proposed for allocating the cost of the proposed Artificial Island project to the Load Serving Entities within each transmission planning zone of PJM and identifying a methodology that will allocate costs in a manner commensurate with the benefits those entities would receive from the project. TCR recommended that FERC reconsider identifying beneficiaries of the Artificial Island project using the Locational Marginal Price (“LMP”) methodology PJM rejected in its June 29, 2017 White Paper. The New Jersey State Agencies filed TCR’s affidavit with their comments on September 19, 2018.
Using the TCR developed concept of Locational Marginal Value (LMV) to Value Distributed Energy Resources (DER) to the Distribution Utility and Develop Pricing Signals to Incent Retail Customer Price Response.
TCR and colleagues have developed the concept of LMV for valuing DER as Non-Wires Alternatives, reported in Locational Marginal Value of Distributed Energy Resources as Non-Wires Alternatives. Central Hudson Gas and Electric (CHG&E) is conducting a demonstration project under the New York Reinventing the Energy Vision (REV) initiative to test distribution level price signals incremental to the wholesale LMP focused on determining the value of DER and retail customer response. TCR, as subcontractor to The Alliance Group, has developed the LMV and applied them to determine the value of DER on multiple constrained feeders. October 2018.
Improving Efficiency of Malaysia Power Market.
TCR, as subcontractor to GE Consulting, is identifying changes to the design of the New Enhanced Dispatch Arrangement (NEDA) component of the Malaysia Power Market that will improve efficiency in the short-run generation competition. TCR is focusing on changes in market design and operation that will attract more participants to NEDA. May 2018.
Co-optimization of wholesale natural gas and electric physical systems and markets.
TCR affiliate Newton Energy Group (NEG) has received a research grant from the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) within the U.S. Department of Energy to develop algorithms and an associated market design that would enable dramatically improved coordination and / or co-optimization of wholesale natural gas and electric physical systems and economic markets on a day-ahead and intra-day basis. The project will develop novel methods for modeling and optimization of natural gas pipeline operation at the day-ahead and intra-day time scale, for pricing of natural gas to end users, in particular to gas-fired power plants; and for coordinating natural gas and electric operations, both day ahead and in real-time, based on locational prices of natural gas and electricity. TCR is providing NEG consulting services on regulatory reform, institutional analysis and technology to market. Other key project participants are Los Alamos National Laboratory, Boston University, Polaris Systems Optimization and AIMMS. April 2016).
White Paper on development of a market for network-optimisation services in Australia.
The Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and the Energy Networks Association (ENA) are working together on the Electricity Network Transformation Roadmap (ENTR) project to develop a set of actions to guide the transformation of Australia’s electricity system over the 2017–27 decade. The CSIRO retained Tabors Caramanis Rudkevich (TCR) to analyze the potential development of a market for network-optimisation services in which operators of Distributed Energy Resources would sell network capacity deferral, voltage control, power quality, conservation voltage reduction (CVR) and other services to distribution and/or transmission network system operators. The CSIRO and ENTR presented TCR’s analyses in Future Market Platforms and Network Optimisation: Synthesis Report, https://www.energynetworks.com.au/sites/default/files/future_market_platforms_and_network_optimisation_0.pdf. June 2016 to December 2016.
White Paper on Developing Competitive Electricity Markets and Pricing Structures in New York.
The New York State Department of Public Service (NYDPS) and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) jointly retained TCR to analyze possible changes in market design to achieve the State’s goals in its Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) proceeding. The white paper describes the design of a new, distribution level market for energy and related electric products from Distributed Energy Resources (DER) and of a statewide digital Platform to animate and facilitate the financial transactions in that market, i.e. a platform market. The paper presents the rationale for establishing this new market structure, explains how the establishment of a digital platform would support the operation of the market, and describes the steps required to implement the Platform and Platform Market. The NYDPS filed the report as a resource for REV proceeding stakeholders in Case 15-E- 0751 at https://documents.dps.ny.gov/public/MatterManagement/MatterFilingItem.aspx?FilingSeq=158642&MatterSeq=49770. May 2015 to April 2016.
Economic and operating structure of Alberta Electric Market.
A large electric utility that provides competitive retail services, customer connection, transmission and competitive generation in Alberta retained TCR to provide analyses and input to their regulatory, operating and investment strategies. The client asked TCR to focus in particular on the economic and operating structure of the Alberta Electric Market based upon its expertise in, and experience with, the design and operation of single and multiple auction electricity markets throughout North America and in Australia. August 2013 (ongoing engagement).
Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) strategic planning.
MISO invited TCR electricity market experts Tabors and Rudkevich to participate in an extensive three-week workshop aimed at the development of a road map for MISO to adapt its market algorithms and software to evolving changes in energy production and delivery technology, scope of market participants and associated market structures. January 2016.
Review of Distributed Energy Resource (DER) program cost recovery filings.
The New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel retained TCR to help them review the annual cost recovery filings of two utility DER programs, the Atlantic City Electric Residential Controllable Smart Thermostat Program and the Jersey Central Power and Light Integrated Distribution Energy resource Program. October 2015 to February 2016.
NERC Resource Adequacy Workshop.
The Reliability Assessment and System Analysis group at NERC retained TCR to conduct a workshop on current methods of probabilistic resource adequacy assessment and on the importance of locational reliability assessment in system planning and operation. September 2015.
Coordination of Day-Ahead Market with Natural Gas market.
NEPOOL retained TCR to provide expert testimony before the FERC on ER13-895-000 defending the NEPOOL position that changing the timing of the day-ahead market to make it dramatically out of time with the natural gas market would have material negative impacts on the cost of electricity cleared through ISO NE day-ahead market. NEPOOL prevailed over ISO NE before the FERC. November 2012 to May 2013.