- energy
- grid
- market
A regional transmission organization is an independent, FERC-regulated entity that operates the high-voltage grid and wholesale electricity market for a region, keeping the transmission system neutral among the utilities and generators that use it. An independent system operator (ISO) is the functionally equivalent term; the label differs by region but the role is the same.
The RTO is the level at which grid capacity is actually allocated, through the interconnection queue and capacity market it administers. For this record the RTO is PJM, and its rules — set under FERC tariffs — determine how quickly a new hyperscale load or a behind-the-meter plant can connect, and what it must pay to do so. Understanding the RTO's process is what turns a vague "grid constraint" into a specific, dated position in a queue.