1、Queued Up:Status and Drivers of Generator Interconnection BacklogsJoachim Seel,Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratorySolar and Storage Finance USAMay 2,2024This work was funded by the U.S.Department of Energy under Contract No.DE-AC02-05CH11231.The views and opinions of the authors expressed herein d
2、o not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof,or The Regents of the University of California.Image source:Licensed from Shutterstock2Current interconnection process was designed in 2003 for an electricity system with fewer,larger,centralized power pla
3、nts(though RTOs have implemented some reforms)A project developer initiates a new interconnection request(IR)and thereby enters the queueA series of interconnection studies establish what new transmission equipment or upgrades may be needed and assigns the costs of that equipmentThe studies culminat
4、e in an interconnection agreement(IA):a contract between the ISO or utility and the generation owner that stipulates operational terms and cost responsibilitiesMost proposed projects are withdrawn,which may occur at any point in the processAfter executing an IA,many projects are built and reach comm
5、ercial operationNote:These steps are in accordance with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission(FERC)pro-forma interconnection procedures as outlined in FERC Order 2023.Some ISOs already use a cluster-study approach.The data presented in this report pre-date Order No.2023 implementation.3Annual interco
6、nnection requests have surged since 2013(both in terms of number and capacity);over 900 GW added in 2023 aloneNotes:(1)This total annual volume includes projects with a queue status of active,suspended,withdrawn,or operational.(2)All values especially for earlier years should be considered approxima