Mass. zeros in on shaving the peak
I don't understand the implications but I agree with the premise.
Today the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) unveiled the latest program design for its visionary Clean Peak Standard, a policy that builds on its renewable energy programs with the aim of more directly meeting the actual demands of the state’s electricity system.
First and foremost came clarification, the instant reflection of the research and calculations that have been done since the rough proposal rolled out in April. This included figures for the valuation of generation during the different hourly and seasonal peaks. The initial policy introduced the consideration of an actual system peak multiplier of 15x. What this means is that during the highest peak hour of the month, the peak of peaks, if you will, the credit value of electricity generated during that period will be multiplied by 15.
However 353 days of the year will not be those peak peaks, and are not all created equally. The value of generation is high during the winter and summer, when the peaks are greater, therefore seasonal credit multipliers were established. Fall and Spring have a neutral multiplier of 1x base value, whereas Winter and Summer receive a 3x base value multiplier.
There are logistical multipliers as well. Resources which increase energy resilience to outages are subject to a 1.5x multiplier, while previously existing and state contracted renewable resources (pre-1/1/19) will receive a 0.1x multiplier.
DOER went into detail explaining the logic behind establishing a specific multiplier for existing and state contracted renewable resources. Their rationale includes the following goals:
◦Incentivize these resources to change how they operate, instead of paying more for the same resource performance
◦Avoid saturating the market with existing resources and suppressing price signals to invest in storage
◦Ensure these resources have a market signal to pair with storage and shift their energy generation
[link:https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2019/08/07/massachusetts-zeroes-in-on-shaving-the-peak/?utm_source=pv+magazine+USA&utm_campaign=dcc970facf-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_80e0d17bb8-dcc970facf-140219173|