Trimark's T1-S SCADA now includes the option to accept, schedule, and execute California ISO (CAISO) Automated Dispatch System (ADS) commands. This functionality allows utility-scale PV resources to participate in the real-time energy market by responding to 5-minute dispatch commands. Trimark's T1-S SCADA integrates with the CAISO ADS application to automate acceptance and execution of secure CAISO instructions including startup, shut down, transition, curtail, and ancillary service requests. CAISO's ADS system facilitates secure, real-time dispatch instructions to power generation resources that participate in the real-time energy market. ADS sends unambiguous dispatch instructions to generation resources, tracks the real-time operational profile, records the transaction, and documents whether the instruction was approved or rejected.

Under normal conditions, CAISO dispatches an ADS instruction (e.g. startup, shut down, transition) every five minutes. CAISO can also dispatch energy instructions (e.g. Max) on a 10 minute, 15 minute, or hourly interval. ADS commands are also used to communicate ancillary service awards. When the T1-S SCADA ADS module receives a command, CAISO allows 90 seconds for the resource to start the action. During this time, T1-S SCADA authenticates the command, reviews the instruction against pre-defined acceptance criteria, and documents the transaction. If the command meets the acceptance criteria, and the resource can deliver the power characteristic required, T1-S SCADA will automatically coordinate adjustments across all plant devices (e.g. inverters, energy storage, capacitor banks) to meet the instruction. Upon acceptance, CAISO expects the resource to smoothly ramp changes over two minutes to reach the new target. All dispatches and resulting control actions are recorded with time stamps and retained for reporting and auditing.

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