Assessment of Quick Start Resource Requirements in Market Operations

In Southwest Connecticut of the New England system, out-of-merit generation is often committed to provide operational reliability support due to transmission constraints and a lack of local quick-start resources. The resources related to these supplemental commitments are paid an additional amount that is over and above the energy market revenues. A one-year feasibility study was performed to investigate if the GridView model, an engineering and economic simulation program, could be used to identify the amount of generating or demand response resources that would be required to reduce out-of-merit generation commitment. The objective of this exercise was to develop the New England bulk power system model, reflecting all relevant transmission and generation system operating characteristics, and simulate the system to find out whether the program produces reasonable results for use in the regional resource planning effort. This feasibility study would also identify the amount of quick start capacity needed, under assumed competitive market conditions, to improve system operational reliability and market efficiency