ISO-NE employee honored with UVIG 2016 technical achievement award

The Utility Variable-Generation Integration Group (UVIG) has recognized John Simonelli, Director of Operations Support Services for ISO New England, with a 2016 Annual Achievement Award for leadership in industry education on the need for ancillary services and their provision from all resources.

The award was issued in May to Simonelli, along with nine other members from across the energy industry who are part of the Essential Reliability Services Task Force (ERSTF) of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC).

According to UVIG’s President Bettis, “All of these recipients have provided leadership and extended the science and understanding of integrating wind and solar generation on utility power systems.” See the UVIG press release.

About the ERSTF

The ERSTF’s goal was to develop a technical foundation for, and to inform the industry, regulators, and the public about, maintaining essential reliability services (ERSs) in light of increasing penetration of variable generation coupled with conventional generator retirements. ERSs, such as providing reactive power to maintain system voltages and physical inertia to maintain system frequency, are operational attributes of conventional generators and necessary for maintaining power grid reliability. The team is continuing their work as part of NERC’s Essential Reliability Services Working Group, seeking to develop guidelines for measures to monitor, trend, and track ERS.

About UVIG

The UVIG is an international organization whose mission is to “accelerate the development and application of good engineering and operational practices supporting the appropriate integration and reliable operation of variable generation on the electric power system.” The UVIG was formerly called the Utility Wind Integration Group (UWIG).