- Midwest grid operator MISO banned renewables from backup market in 2010
- Solar power industry says decision based on now-outdated data
(Reuters) – A rule banning wind and solar energy producers from participating in power markets that provide critical support for the electricity grid for much of the Midwest is outdated and based on “stale” information, the solar industry has told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) on Tuesday filed a complaint with FERC against the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), arguing the grid operator is discriminating against renewable energy sources by keeping them from participating in markets that help maintain grid reliability and bring systems back from power outages. By keeping renewables from those markets, the industry said the grid operator is giving a competitive advantage to traditional energy sources like fossil fuels.
“For the last decade, the MISO has been discriminating against renewable generators, and it’s time that FERC corrects the record and gives renewables a fair shot,” said Melissa Alfano, director of energy markets and counsel at SEIA.
MISO’s ancillary markets have run since 2009. The grid operator submitted a plan to FERC, which regulates transmission and wholesale electricity markets in the country, for how it would run those markets the following year. That plan excluded the use of intermittent resources such as wind and solar, according to the SEIA’s complaint.
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