[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 60 (Thursday, March 28, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18974-18975]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-07216]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. AD10-12-004]


Increasing Market and Planning Efficiency Through Improved 
Software; Notice of Technical Conference: Increasing Real-Time and Day-
Ahead Market Efficiency Through Improved Software

    Take notice that Commission staff will convene a technical 
conference on June 24, 25, and 26, 2013 to discuss opportunities for 
increasing real-time and day-ahead market efficiency through improved 
software. A detailed agenda with the list of and times for the selected 
speakers will be published on the Commission's Web site \1\ after May 
13, 2013.
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    \1\ http://www.ferc.gov/industries/electric/indus-act/market-planning.asp.
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    This conference will bring together experts from diverse 
backgrounds and experiences including electric system operators, 
software developers, government, research centers and academia for the 
purposes of stimulating discussion, sharing information, and 
identifying fruitful avenues for research concerning the technical 
aspects of improved software for increasing efficiency. This conference 
is intended to build on the discussions initiated in the previous 
Commission staff technical conferences on increasing market and 
planning efficiency through improved software. As such, staff will be 
facilitating a discussion to explore research and steps needed to 
implement approaches to market modeling which appear to have 
significant promise for potential efficiency improvements in the 
following areas: Stochastic modeling; optimal transmission switching; 
AC optimal power flow modeling; and use of active and dynamic 
transmission ratings.
    In particular we solicit proposals for presentations on topics and 
questions such as the following:
    (1) Stochastic modeling for unit commitment and operating reserves: 
Given the difficulty in formulating and solving full-scale stochastic 
unit-commitment problems, what interim steps might be taken to more 
intelligently incorporate information about uncertainty into unit-
commitment and dispatch? Specifically:
     How can uncertainty be described in a manageable set of 
scenarios or constraints that improve unit-commitment and dispatch 
while

[[Page 18975]]

allowing good solutions to be achieved in the required timeframe?
     If a stochastic unit-commitment model is used, how should 
day-ahead prices be calculated, given that the stochastic formulation 
no longer produces as part of its solution a single set of 
deterministic shadow prices for power at each location?
     How would a stochastic day-ahead unit commitment mechanism 
alter current market software for other processes (for example, 
reliability unit-commitment processes)?
     What steps toward better incorporation of uncertainty into 
unit-commitment might be taken over the next 5 to 10 years?
     What methods can be used to calculate requirements for 
contingency reserves and regulating reserves?
    [cir] How can reserves calculations more completely capture the 
uncertainty and variability of the system, including forecast error?
    [cir] How can outage probability be captured in contingency reserve 
calculations, and how good is the available data?
    [cir] What methods can be used to determine reserve zones?
    (2) Optimal transmission switching:
     Simple optimal DC transmission switching appears to 
represent a potentially solvable technical problem using existing 
computational resources if transmission operators optimize only a small 
number of transmission switch positions. It is less clear whether 
transmission switching model formulations that include realistic 
representations of reliability requirements are solvable. What is the 
performance of these more complex model formulations?
     What additional computational impediments, if any, exist 
to implementing optimal transmission switching over a small number of 
switches while maintaining reliability?
     Optimal AC transmission switching presents additional 
technical problems. What is the performance of these formulations?
     What steps toward optimal transmission switching might be 
taken over the next 5 to 10 years?
    (3) AC optimal power flow modeling:
     What is the current state of computational capability with 
respect to dependably solving AC optimal power flow problems, including 
analysis of power system reliability?
     Discussions during previous conferences have centered on 
concerns that current system data quality might not allow for an AC 
optimal power flow model to be properly formulated and solved. What are 
the specific data concerns, and what needs to be done to address them? 
What accuracy of solutions is good enough for convergence parameters?
     What steps toward use of AC optimal power flow modeling 
might be taken over the next 5 to 10 years?
    (4) Transmission limit modeling:
     Previous presentations examined the use of post-
contingency analysis when determining transmission ratings, including 
consideration of availability of ramping capability. How can (or have) 
adaptive transmission ratings been implemented?
     Previous presentations also examined how transmission 
ratings might be updated in real time in response to ambient 
conditions. How have such dynamic transmission ratings been 
implemented?
     What are the data or computational challenges associated 
with implementing adaptive or dynamic transmission ratings?
     How can inter-temporal considerations regarding 
transmission line loadings and limits be incorporated into economic 
dispatch algorithms?
    (5) Improvement in linear programs, nonlinear programs and MIPs for 
faster and/or better solutions.
    (6) New more efficient approaches to loop flow and joint dispatch. 
How much inefficiency exists in the current process?
    Discussion of these topics should highlight any advances made since 
last year's conference and provide context for any proposals or 
presentations on best practices, other analyses of current operations 
with respect to these and related topics, and provide opportunity to 
discuss existing practices that need improvement.
    The technical conference will be held in conference rooms 3M-2, 3M-
3, and 3M-4 at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First 
Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. All interested participants are 
invited to attend, and participants with ideas for relevant 
presentations are invited to nominate themselves to speak at the 
conference.
    Speaker nominations must be submitted on or before April 26, 2013 
through the Commission's Web site \2\ by providing the proposed 
speaker's contact information along with a title, abstract, and list of 
contributing authors for the proposed presentation. Proposed 
presentations should be closely related to the topics discussed above. 
Speakers and presentations will be selected to ensure relevant topics 
and to accommodate time constraints.
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    \2\ The speaker nomination form is located at https://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/registration/real-market-6-24-13-speaker-form.asp.
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    Although registration is not required for general attendance by 
United States citizens, we encourage those planning to attend the 
conference to register through the Commission's Web site.\3\ We will 
provide nametags for those who register on or before June 20, 2013.
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    \3\ The registration form is located at https://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/registration/real-market-6-24-13-form.asp.
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    Due to new security procedures, we strongly encourage attendees who 
are not citizens of the United States to register for the conference by 
June 1, 2013, in order to avoid any delay associated with being 
processed by FERC security.
    The Commission will accept comments following the conference, with 
a deadline of July 31, 2013.
    There is an ``eSubscription'' link on the Web site that enables 
subscribers to receive email notification when a document is added to a 
subscribed docket(s). For assistance with any FERC Online service, 
please email [email protected], or call 866 208-3676 (toll 
free). For TTY, call 202 502-8659.
    Teleconferencing and WebEx will be available. Off-site participants 
interested in attending via teleconference or viewing the presentations 
through WebEx must register at https://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/registration/real-market-6-24-13-form.asp, and do so by close of 
business on June 17, 2013. WebEx and teleconferencing may not be 
available to those who do not register.
    FERC conferences are accessible under section 508 of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For accessibility accommodations please 
send an email to [email protected] or call toll free (866) 208-
3372 (voice) or (202) 502-8659 (TTY), or send a fax to (202) 208-2106 
with the required accommodations.
    For further information about these conferences, please contact: 
Sarah McKinley (Logistical Information), Office of External Affairs, 
(202) 502-8004, [email protected]. Brian Bak (Technical 
Information), Office of Energy Policy and Innovation, (202) 502-6574, 
[email protected].

    Dated: March 22, 2013.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-07216 Filed 3-27-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P