Power Grid School

IPU Power Grid School

The engineering and economics of the operation and transformation of electric utility systems across the supply chain for power, from generation to transmission to distribution.

IPU Power Grid School Course I:
Engineering Economics of the Supply Chain for Power
June 10-12, 2024 – 10 am to 4:00 pm daily Eastern Time

Day 1
Fundamentals of Power Systems and Grid Infrastructure [J. Mitra]
  • Characteristics of electric power components and systems. Transmission and distribution operations and planning. Impact of developments in distribution on transmission. Distributed resources and microgrids.
  • Interconnected systems and balancing authorities. Interconnection seams, standards, and interoperability. Island systems. Line losses and solutions. Grid congestion, abnormalities, vulnerabilities, and emerging threats.
  • NERC and other standards for quality, reliability, and security. Supply-side capacity, efficiency, and expansion. Utility-scale and distributed storage. Distribution grid operating platforms and automation technologies. Grid modernization and smart grids. Grid architecture for reliability and resilience.
Day 2
Fundamentals of Electricity Markets, Economics, & Regulation [S. Blumsack]
  • Wholesale market structure, operation, economics, and pricing. Role of private, nonprofit, and public power. Regulatory jurisdiction and coordination for generation, transmission, and distribution. FERC regulation and key orders.
  • Grid access, neutrality, and the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA). Energy, capacity, and ancillary services markets and allocation rules. Emissions and carbon regulation. Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs).
  • Regional transmission planning, operation, and organizations (RTOs). Market performance and oversight. Impact of changing marginal costs. Choice and default service. Stranded and sunk costs. Market and policy uncertainty. Emerging trends, models, and policies. Implications of electrification.
Day 3
Grid Integration & Modeling for Distributed & Variable Resources [T. Veselka]
  • Engineering properties and efficiency of energy resources. Portfolio diversity and changing fuel mix. Relevance of scale, location, and time variability. Value, costs, and benefits of renewable energy resources.
  • Locational marginal pricing (LMP). Day-ahead and hour-ahead scheduling and real-time dispatch.
  • Energy imbalance markets (western U.S.). Long-term reliability assessment and modern

IPU Power Grid School Course II:
Supply-Side Dynamics: Alternative Resources, Integrated Planning, and Climate Action
TBA 2024 – 10 am to 4:00 pm daily Eastern Time

Day 1
Trends and Outlook for Energy in the United States [L. Martin]
Resource Adequacy and Diversification [D. Stenclik]
Sustainability Assessment of Energy Technologies [A. Anctil]
Discussion
Day 2
Integrated Resource Planning [R. Wilson]
Power System Planning for Uncertainty, Extremes, Outages [J. Lau]
Power System Planning and Climate Action [M. Craig]
Discussion
Day 3
Economic Evaluation of Resource Alternatives and Policies [G. Upton]
Emerging Models for Clean Energy Infrastructure [L. Reed]
Discussion

IPU Power Grid School Course III:
Demand-Side Dynamics: Energy Efficiency and Demand Response, Grid-Edge Technologies, and Electrification
TBD – 10 am to 4:00 pm daily Eastern Time