2019 Stanford Energy Internships in California and the West: Western Electricity Coordinating Council

State- and city-level efforts are essential in our fight against climate change, especially in the field of energy. Stanford University is committed to helping by integrating its best students into the local energy and climate ecosystem through Stanford Energy Internships in California and the West (SEICW), an energy-related summer internship program. This position is funded; you will be one of two Stanford students placed at WECC in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The program runs from Monday, June 24, 2019 to Friday, August 30, 2019. 

Western Electricity Coordinating Council

The Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) promotes Bulk Electric System reliability in the Western Interconnection. WECC is the Regional Entity responsible for compliance monitoring and enforcement. In addition, WECC provides an environment for the development of Reliability Standards and the coordination of the operating and planning activities of its members as set forth in the WECC Bylaws.

WECC is geographically the largest and most diverse of the eight Regional Entities with delegated authority from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The WECC Region extends from Canada to Mexico and includes the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, the northern portion of Baja California, Mexico, and all or portions of the 14 Western states between.

The mission of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council is to promote and foster a reliable and efficient Bulk Electric System.  WECC’s vision is to lead its stakeholders to achieve optimal system reliability, be the premier source of unbiased information, and serve as the trusted thought leader for the Western Interconnection.

For more information visit the WECC homepage: http://www.wecc.biz

WECC Mentors

Matthew Elkins, Manager – Performance Analysis, will act as the student mentor for this project. Mr. Elkins manages the Performance Analysis department, an area that looks at the historical performance of the Bulk Power System using data collected from electric utilities throughout the interconnection. The team conducts robust analyses on the historical operation and performance of the system and is also working on “predictive analytics” to look for trends and patterns to determine if the risk power system outages is increasing. The historical data collected are used to conduct forward looking analysis to identify potential future reliability impacts. The Performance Analysis area is a critical contributor delivering insight and analysis to industry stakeholders.

Prior to joining WECC, Mr. Elkins was the Manager of Planning and Financial Analysis at PacifiCorp. Matthew holds a M.S. in Econometric and Statistical Analysis and a B.S. in Economics from Portland State University.

Internship Project    

The goal of this project is to create a “Framework for Analyzing Demand and Creating Future Demand Scenarios in the Western Interconnection.” Electricity demand is the independent variable that drives how the electric industry balances the electric grid equation. Understanding what drives demand patterns (such as population, weather, technological trends, and economic activities) is paramount to planning for a reliable grid. Given the large geographical footprint that the Western Interconnection encompasses, there exists a wide diversity across the footprint of annual rates of change, daily use patterns, and economic activities. For example, an increase in energy efficient appliances have slowed the rate of load growth across the entire interconnection, whereas, depending on the geographical location, some areas of the Western Interconnection have seen an influx of roof-top solar panels that have potentially reshaped the daily pattern of demand. There are potentially significant reliability benefits to be achieved through identifying how demand has changed over time and over geographical areas, to develop a ten-year forecast model that can change with the evolving industry and customer base, and to be able to have a framework to adjust parameters to analyze a range of forecasts as WECC ensures a reliable interconnection.

The first step in this project will be to build a database containing data needed to study how demand has changed over time.  Additional data gathering, other than what WECC currently collects, may be needed to capture all variables that influence demand. 

The second step in this project will be to analyze the historical data to produce a regression model that will enable WECC to annually update a forecast demand curve for each region in the Western Interconnection. The core output will be a deterministic hourly demand forecast WECC can use as a base for WECC’s resource adequacy evaluation.

In the final step of the project, the students will present the framework for analyzing demand in the Western Inter­connection to WECC stakeholder committees. At that time, WECC will also be asking stakeholders to approve the new data to be used throughout each of its planning models on an ongoing basis.

This project will provide students with the autonomy to be creative in their independent research and experience developing a practical analytical tool. The students will have the opportunity to learn how new processes are developed, approved, and incorporated into WECC’s mission of a reliable interconnection. At the end of a successful project, the students will feel that they are a part of the WECC team and have made a significant contribution to enhancing regional reliability in the Western Interconnection.