ISO Minute: Making the grid stronger and smarter

ISO Minute is a video series featuring ISO New England employees speaking about their experiences working for the region’s independent system operator and supporting the safe and reliable transition to clean energy.  

Weather affects the power grid every day. It influences how much electricity people use and how much generators can produce. During extreme heat or cold, those impacts can be even greater, making it important to understand whether the grid can deliver enough energy when it’s needed.

To help address this challenge, ISO New England developed the Regional Energy Shortfall Threshold (REST). REST is designed to assess the grid’s ability to serve electricity demand during periods of extreme weather. 

As a mathematician, solving complex problems is nothing new for Jinye Zhao, technical manager in Advanced Technology Solutions. ATS is ISO New England’s internal research and development department. The team collaborates with external and internal groups to build tools, like REST, that improve the reliability of the region’s power system.

“REST reflects the ISO using engineering, advanced analytics, as well as stakeholder input, and combining all of them together,” notes Zhao. “That can help us to make the grid stronger and smarter for the future.”