How congestion works
When a line reaches its limit, the grid operator must use more costly plants on the far side of it. Prices then fall where power is trapped and rise where it is short. That gap shows up in locational marginal prices.
What it means for a site
- Generators in a congested pocket earn lower prices and face more curtailment.
- Loads in the same pocket may see low energy prices, but the same limits can make a large new connection slow or costly.
Congestion changes as new lines, plants and loads are built, so past patterns are a guide, not a promise.
Questions people ask
Is congestion good for a data center?
Not simply. Trapped power can mean low prices, but it does not mean the local grid can serve a large new load. Both sides need checking.
Where can I see congestion data?
Grid operators publish price and constraint data. For Texas, use ERCOT market reports as the primary source.
Related
More glossary
- What is time to power?
- What is powered land?
- What is a powered shell?
- What is large load interconnection?
- What is a point of interconnection?
- What is an interconnection queue?
- What is queue position?
- What is ERCOT?
Need a site, or have one?
Tell us what you need and Voltane finds, reports on and prices candidate sites in ERCOT. Or bring a site you already have for a path-to-power report (by request for now).