HPC-Enabled Generator Importance Assessment for RTO-Scale Resource Adequacy Planning

Abstract

Modern power systems are increasingly under stress as aging assets approach retirement and load growth outpaces new generation construction. The severity of this challenge varies by region: in the EU, the transmission grid can partially compensate for local generation shortfalls, while in the US, generation tends to be more localized, making retirements harder to offset. Retirement of generation has consequences for system reserves, fuel supply chain, and public health. We present an high-performance computing (HPC) framework for rapidly assessing the grid importance of individual generating units and ranking them by primary fuel type, operating cost, or grid impact. Historically, such studies were computationally intensive and therefore conducted infrequently. This work demonstrates that such assessments can be completed in minutes, enabling planners to evaluate a much broader range of generation portfolio scenarios than was previously possible.