NEW YORK: Most Americans have never heard of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The relatively obscure federal agency has jurisdiction over interstate electricity markets and oil and gas pipelines, as well as overseeing the function of grid operators and wholesale markets.
But though its workings are less understood by the general public, they are no less important. This is certainly true of today’s approval of a final rule requiring grid operators to revise regulations to allow for energy storage to participate in energy, capacity and ancillary services markets, which analysts say could remove barriers for the growth of this technology in several U.S. regions.