As the energy industry transitions to a renewable-dominated grid, utilities and RTOs/ISOs face mounting pressure to streamline interconnection processes and improve transparency. FERC Order 2023-A has introduced stricter mandates requiring utilities to make interconnection information more accessible to developers, stakeholders, and the public.
Meeting these requirements isn’t just about compliance—it’s a scale, efficiency, and clarity challenge. With thousands of interconnection requests each year, traditional tools are falling short. Advanced heatmap visualization tools are emerging as the solution, enabling transmission planners to simplify complex grid data and meet the evolving regulatory demands of FERC Order 2023-A.
In this blog, we’ll explore the three main types of heat maps used in transmission planning, their unique advantages, and how they help utilities address today’s challenges while preparing for tomorrow.
Why Heatmaps Matter in Transmission Planning
Utilities face a growing challenge: over 2,000 interconnection requests are submitted annually across RTOs and ISOs. Traditional tools often struggle to keep up, leading to compliance delays, inefficiencies, and bottlenecks in grid management and renewable project integration. .
Heatmaps address these challenges by visually clarifying grid capacity and congestion. They enable planners to:
- Streamline Compliance: Automating compliance-ready visualizations reduces manual errors and ensures regulatory alignment.
- Enhance Transparency: End users can easily interpret data, fostering trust with renewable developers and associated stakeholders.
- Plan Proactively: Identify vulnerabilities and prioritize relevant upgrades with advanced insights.
The Three Main Types of Heatmaps
- Point-Based Heatmaps
These maps highlight specific data points, such as substations or interconnection nodes.
- Best For: Localized analysis of available capacity at discrete locations.
- Key Benefits:
- Quickly identify substations with interconnection potential.
- Assess localized grid constraints.
- Challenges:
- Overlapping data from nearby substations or multiple voltage levels at the same bus can create visual clutter, making it difficult to interpret information clearly, especially in dense areas.
- Line-Based Heatmaps
These maps show stress levels and availability across corridors by visualizing capacity along transmission lines.
- Best For: Assessing grid congestion and stress along key transmission routes.
- Key Benefits:
- Provides detailed insights into capacity variations along lines.
- Ideal for internal analysis of transmission bottlenecks.
- Challenges:
- Transmission line data is often classified as CEII, limiting its use in public-facing applications.
- Raster/Interpolated Heatmaps
Raster heat maps offer a continuous view of grid capacity across regions by filling gaps between known data points.
- Best For: Providing broad, regional insights into grid conditions.
- Key Benefits:
- Avoids issues with overlapping data by smoothing values across areas.
- Adheres to CEII regulations, making it suitable for public communication.
- Challenges:
- Requires advanced interpolation capabilities to ensure accuracy and usability.
Choosing the Right Heatmap for Your Needs
Selecting the ideal heat map depends on several factors:
- Audience:
- Internal stakeholders may prefer detailed point- or line-based maps.
- Public-facing tools benefit from raster maps that simplify data and minimize visual clutter.
- Data Sensitivity:
- For CEII-protected information, raster maps or restricted access platforms are essential.
- Use Case:
- Point-based heatmaps provide a basic foundation for data representation but have limitations in conveying broader spatial patterns and relationships.
- For deeper analysis, raster heatmaps provide greater clarity by simplifying complex data and enhancing visualization.
Case in Point:
- California ISO (CAISO): Deployed a basic point-based POI analysis heatmap, offering limited visualization capabilities.
- MISO, Southern Company and other utilities: Adopted raster heatmaps to provide a comprehensive regional overview while ensuring compliance with CEII regulations.
The Benefits of Modern Heatmap Tools
Today’s heat maps are more than just visualization tools—they’re comprehensive platforms designed to simplify transmission planning:
- Compliance Ready: Align seamlessly with FERC Order 2023-A requirements.
- Enhanced Grid Visibility: Pinpoint bottlenecks and capacity constraints quickly.
- User-Friendly Design: Features like customizable color gradients, interactive overlays, and zoom-level controls make data accessible to all users.
- Automated Data Flows: Automation via REST APIs ensures data is always current, saving valuable time for transmission engineers.
Conclusion
Heatmaps have transformed transmission planning, enabling utilities to meet compliance requirements, enhance transparency, and manage increasing interconnection requests. Whether for detailed POI analysis or broader regional insights, a heatmap solution can be customized to fit your specific needs.
Whether you're looking to integrate interconnection heatmaps into your workflows or seeking solutions for grid bottlenecks and capacity planning, CartoVista is here to help.
A personalized demo will showcase how our cloud platform supports compliance, enhances visibility, and seamlessly integrates with your existing processes. Let’s explore how it can address your unique challenges and position your team for success.