Toronto: As part of its ongoing work on renewables integration, the IESO has made some changes affecting requirements for variable renewable generators. An update to the Participant Technical Reference Manual (PTRM) has been proposed to provide an additional method for embedded variable renewable generators with a capacity of 5 MW or greater to connect with the IESO. In consultation with the IESO, these embedded generators may be able to provide operational and meteorological data to the IESO via a site-to-site VPN connection over the Internet, or through their LDC.
Starting in January, the IESO will be working with individual generators to replace the current frame relay service used to communicate real-time power system data to the IESO. The IESO’s telecommunication service provider Allstream, is replacing the current Frame Relay services with Multiprotocol Label Switching network (MPLS). Among the benefits of using MPLS is the increase in bandwith and improved monitoring to detect faults faster. For more information on this project, readers may refer to this location: http://www.ieso.ca/imowebpub/201109/itsc-20110913-MPLS_Migration.pdf.
Technological and equipment updates to the Participant Technical Reference Manual have been included in a proposed Interim Manual Document Change for the Multiprotocol Label Switching network (MPLS). This is another method market participants use to connect to the IESO. For more details on the changes to the PTRM, see “Multiprotocol Label Switching and Alternative Communications for Medium Performance Facilities, IMDC-0169” (http://www.ieso.ca/imowebpub/201109/IESO_IMDC_0169_v0_1.pdf).
The proposed interim document change updates Market Manual 1.2 to set out the IESO’s facility data and operational monitoring requirements (static and dynamic data) for variable generators. See “Variable Generation Requirements, IMDC-0170” (http://www.ieso.ca/imowebpub/201109/IESO_IMDC_0170_v0.1.pdf).
These interim document changes were posted for stakeholder review at: http://www.ieso.ca/imoweb/changes/changeNoticeList.asp.
These two document changes are largely a result of Market Rule Amendment MR-00362 (http://www.ieso.ca/imoweb/pubs/mr2011/MR-00362-R01_BA.pdf) coming into effect on November 1, 2011. The amendment puts an obligation on variable generators to send the IESO facility data and provide operational telemetry.