Changing Dynamics in Power Generation

In recent years, the power industry has been undergoing fundamental changes. Aging coal plants are being rapidly retired. Nuclear plants are asking for (and receiving) multi-billion dollar subsidies. And the only new capacity additions being built are wind farms, utility-scale and distributed solar, and high-efficiency gas plants.

As a consequence, the dynamics of power generation are changing as well. Solar and wind capital costs continue to fall, while the cost of generating a marginal kilowatt-hour is minimal (or even negative with the federal Production Tax Credit). Meanwhile, low-cost natural gas is resulting in extremely low wholesale power costs by historical standards. Existing conventional plants must deal with a changing environment where margins on kilowatt-hours are declining. One way they can make this up is through more flexible operating procedures.

This webinar will examine the ways in which wholesale power markets have changed in recent years, existing models, and solutions that may appear in the near future.

Learning Outcomes

Discuss the dynamics affecting the penetration rates and cost curves for wind and solar, geographic concentrations of new renewable resources
Review the macro-level supply and demand dynamics of gas markets and influence on power prices
Discuss resulting intermittent output of renewables and demands on generating assets
Review wholesale market dynamics, including recently depressed power prices
Assess the role of conventional generation in accommodating renewables and issues related to capacity, ancillary services, frequency regulation, and ‘pay-for-performance’ concepts

Credits

EUCI is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard. IACET is recognized internationally as a standard development organization and accrediting body that promotes quality of continuing education and training.

EUCI is authorized by IACET to offer 0.2 CEUs for this event.

Requirements

Participants must be logged on for the entirety of the webinar to be eligible for continuing education credit.

Instructional Methods

A Web-based PowerPoint presentation.

Agenda

Changing Supply Resource Dynamics

A review of the dramatic increases in wind and solar penetration, by region
A discussion of cost curves and levelized costs of energy for wind and solar
An overview of coal plant retirements
A review of the challenges for the existing nuclear fleet
A discussion of natural gas dynamics – including fracking – and the resulting impacts on power markets

Wholesale Market Fundamentals

An examination of the historic pricing trends in wholesale power markets for various ISOs
A discussion of the increasing need for flexible resources, the increasing emphasis on availability, faster power plant ramp rates and the need for power plant instrumentation to optimize power plant response
An examination of the growing opportunity for demand response and batteries

Instructor

Peter Kelly-Detwiler, Principal, NorthBridge Partners

Peter Kelly-Detwiler currently advises technology companies and customers concerning the integration of energy-consuming and producing assets into the power grid. He has 27 years of experience in the electric energy industry, with 15 years as an executive in competitive retail markets, since their inception in 1997. He served in various functions within the industry, including Director of Customer Care (East Coast) for NewEnergy Ventures. Prior to NorthBridge, he was Sr. Vice President of Constellation Energy’s Load Response group. In this function, he created this unit and oversaw its growth to become a business with approximately $80 mn in revenue, capable of dispatching 1700 MW of customer load.

Kelly-Detwiler lectures frequently, has appeared on public television, and is also a frequent contributor on energy-related issues (over 240 posts) to Forbes.com. In this latter capacity, he has written on topics related to wind, storage, electric vehicles, shale gas, LEDs and numerous other issues. He has interviewed executives from dozens of companies and helped to provide context and meaning in the discussion of new technologies and market developments. As a consultant, he has provided strategic support to Fortune 100 companies such as Nike and GE, and advised leading companies and start-ups in the renewable energy space.

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