Challenges and Solutions to Managing the Electricity‐Gas Interface

Natural gas generators are now the largest producers of electricity in the United States and the largest single end‐use consumer of natural gas. Natural gas markets, first developed to meet commercial and residential heating demands during winter months, are now entwined with electricity markets, developed when natural gas provided a much lower fraction of total fuel supply for electricity markets. More coordination in both daily operations and long‐term planning is required to ensure the continued supply of reliable electricity and natural gas. The discussion throughout this article provides an overview of the evolution and current state of electricity and natural gas markets in the United States and summarizes the ways in which the two industries interact. The article discusses areas warranting greater coordination between the natural gas and electricity industries. We also discuss the current state of natural gas and electricity models and the need for integrated models that include dynamic simulations of pipeline operations, especially when large amounts of variable generation exist within the electrical system. Further, the article outlines current modeling work being conducted to better simulate operations and planning of both systems.