Welcome to Grid Brief! Today we’re looking at power generation and power prices in America’s power markets, with news items where relevant.

What’s Keeping the Lights On?

Let’s start with a snapshot of generation nation-wide:

Generation stayed consistent until it lifted at the week’s end. Natural gas was the major player, while wind and nuclear swapped second place.

And here’s a map to orient you as we move through the market areas:

CAISO

California continues its low-load spring with solar as the standout.

Despite a spike in the 5-minute real-time market at the beginning of the week, day-ahead and real-time prices remained closely coupled.

The other major story out of CAISO are these:

The 9th Circuit Court ruled against Friends of the Earth and Mothers for Peace in their case against the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for extending Diablo Canyon’s life.

Batteries have been shaving day and night-time peaks in CAISO, sparing gas.

New York-ISO

Natural gas, nuclear, and hydro were the top three in the Empire State, where generation jumped up at the end.

Real-time prices saw a brutal spike up to over $6,000/MWHr.

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