Impacts of wind generation on regulation and load following requirements in the California system

The paper analyzes the impact of wind generation on the regulation and load following requirements of the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). These requirements are simulated and compared for the cases with and without wind generation impacts included into the study for the years 2006 and 2010. Regulation and load following models were built based on hour ahead and five minutes ahead load and wind generation forecasts. In 2006, the CAISO system peaked at 50270 MW. Wind generation (at the installed capacity of 2600 MW) had limited impact on the requirement of load following and regulation in the CAISO Control Area. However, in 2010, (with an expected installed capacity of approximately 6700 MW) this impact will significantly increase. The paper provides useful information for the CAISO helping to adjust its scheduling and real-time dispatch systems to reliably accommodate future wind generation additions on the CAISO Control Area.