[E&E seminars] Fwd: LEES Colloquium - Oct 2, 4-5PM in 32-144 - Gordon van Welie, "The Future of the New England Power System"

[Karen Gibson]

Laboratory for Electromagnetic and Electronic Systems (LEES) Colloquium

Gordon van Welie
CEO of ISO New England (the operator of the NE electric utility grid  
and markets)

Thursday, Oct. 2
4:00 pm, Room 32-144


"The Future of the New England Power System"

During the past 10 years, the region has made significant progress to  
secure a reliable power system: up to $10 billion has been invested in  
new, clean, gas-fired generation; by the end of 2008, $3 billion will  
have been spent strengthening our transmission system; and the first  
Forward Capacity Auction has demonstrated that demand response and  
energy efficiency can compete with traditional resources to meet our  
capacity needs.

However, New England still faces a challenging set of environmental  
and resource issues. Key drivers, such as the region's high dependence  
on natural-gas-fired generation and governmental regulations,  
especially Renewable Portfolio Standards, force us to seek solutions  
for integrating variable-output renewable energy and increasing the  
use of demand resources—efforts that pose many technical challenges.

The application of Smart Grid technologies may be part of the answer.  
But for Smart Grid technologies to work, they must be observable,  
controllable, and reliable.

This presentation will highlight the progress the region has made  
toward meeting its goals and requirements for a reliable, economical,  
and environmentally sound bulk power system; the challenges ahead; and  
the potential solutions that may help the region fulfill these goals.



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