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All industries › Glossary › Grid operator

Glossary

Grid operator

Also: ISO, RTO, independent system operator, regional transmission organization, balancing authority

The organization that runs a region's high-voltage grid and its power market, and keeps the queue of projects asking to connect.

Most of the US grid is run by independent system operators (ISOs) and regional transmission organizations (RTOs): ERCOT in Texas, CAISO in California, PJM in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, MISO across the middle of the country, SPP on the Great Plains, ISO New England and NYISO. In the Southeast and much of the West, the utilities and federal power agencies run their own grids and queues.

Each operator publishes its interconnection queue in its own format and on its own schedule. See the queues Groundtrace reads.

Related terms

Interconnection queueThe grid operator's list of power projects asking to connect to the grid, usually the first public trace of a solar, wind or storage site.Interconnection agreementThe contract that settles how and when a project connects to the grid, and who pays for the upgrades; the strongest queue signal that a site will be built.
Every term Utility solar projects Data center projects

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