MISO taps GridUnity to streamline electric generation interconnection

GridUnity has announced that the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) has rolled out the company's cloud-based new generation interconnection queue application tool to simplify and streamline the process for its power generators.

MISO provides transmission service and oversight for a region which stretches from Louisiana to Michigan, Minnesota and Manitoba. The ISO/RTO serves 42 million Americans located primarily in the Midwest and Southern U.S.

GridUnity's platform was selected to simplify and accelerate the process of adding new generation resources to the grid including both traditional and renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and energy storage.

Interconnection customers of large-scale energy projects must complete the application process to qualify and build their projects in MISO's service area. MISO members include transmission owners, competitive transmission developers, independent power producers, and municipal and investor-owned utilities.

"We are thrilled to make the interconnection process easier and faster for the 30 percent of the United States in the MISO territory. Over the past five years, through our work with numerous utilities, we've been able to hone our platform to perform notably better than the legacy tools and processes in use at many ISOs, RTOs, and utilities," said Brian Fitzsimons, CEO of GridUnity. "Our goal is to push the industry forward through technology innovation to increase the penetration of distributed energy resources. MISO has been a terrific partner and we've taken a major leap forward together with this deployment."

To transform the experience for interconnection applicants, the GridUnity platform's automation, process standardization, data intelligence and flexible framework bring immediate efficiencies to MISO's Generator Interconnection process.

With this rollout, MISO staff have taken a large step in improving the interconnection study process, providing requested transparency, speed, and self-service to their members. Because the grid changes constantly, having access to up-to-the-minute data helps ensure developers and MISO staff alike have timely project and status information during the interconnection process.

The adoption of a single consistent format for submission of modeling data and supporting documentation also creates a predictable and repeatable experience for users.

Prior to the GridUnity solution, MISO engineers were manually reviewing each application in detail. With the new GridUnity tool, applicants receive immediate, automated feedback if an entry is incomplete, ensuring all submitted applications meet established standards.

MISO staff will now be able to review and respond to submitted applications in a fraction of the time that was previously required, providing guidance throughout the rest of the interconnection process. This will create a fully transparent and near-real-time interconnection queue, freeing engineers to spend their time addressing the higher-value needs of their customers.

GridUnity's platform includes applications for customer engagement and grid innovation, including grid planning, modeling and forecasting, market engagement, and automated engineering analysis.