The Task Force on Comprehensive Electricity Planning hosts topical webinars to explore issues relevant to the Task Force members and their efforts to develop new approaches to aligning electricity system planning. Materials from each webinar are available below.
July 7, 2020
This webinar focused on key issues related to coordination between distribution planning, resource planning, and utility and RTO transmission planning processes. Speakers shared experiences and real-world examples of how DER growth affects transmission planning; how DERs are used to meet or offset transmission needs; and how states, utilities, and RTOs can coordinate planning to meet future goals for the electricity system.
Moderators:
Speakers:
View the video recording on NASEO’s YouTube channel.
View the presentation slides from the session.
May 26, 2020
The discussion will provide an overview of DOE's updated Integrated Distribution Planning (IDP) approach to more fully incorporate resilience analysis and foundational asset planning activity to create a holistic distribution plan. The discussion will also include considerations related to microgrids as additional options to address state and community resilience objectives. This update reflects learnings from DOE's ongoing technical assistance for states and resilient communities activities.
Moderator:
Speaker:
View the video recording on NASEO’s YouTube channel.
View the presentation slides from the session.
April 6, 2020
How can states support improved economic valuation of demand flexibility in electricity system planning? Demand Flexibility in buildings is the capability of distributed energy resources (DERs) to adjust a building’s load profile across different timescales. Buildings account for 75 percent of electricity consumption and in some regions up to 80 percent of peak demand. With many adjustable loads, buildings also represent the largest source of demand flexibility. A SEE Action Networkreport by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Determining Utility System Value of Demand Flexibility from Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings, introduces key valuation concepts in electricity system planning, describes current methods and practices to establish economic value to the utility system for grid services, and discusses potential improvements to more fully account for the value of demand flexibility with a focus on resource and program planning. This webinar was co-offered by NASEO, NARUC, the U.S. Department of Energy and LBNL.
Introduction and Welcome:
Presenters:
View the video recording on YouTube
View the presentation slides from the session.
March 9, 2020
Join the NARUC-NASEO Task Force on Comprehensive Electricity Planning to hear from Vermont's Washington Electric Cooperative CEO Patty Richards. As not-for-profit consumer-owned utilities, electric cooperatives are founded on the principles of meeting consumer needs as cost-effectively as possible. Washington Electric Cooperative, a state-regulated co-op in Vermont, has developed an integrated distribution plan (IDP) that works to address its commitment to these principles and also educates consumers about future innovative resource options that are responsive to their concerns. Ms. Richards will discuss the plan's objectives and policy considerations, balancing system needs with optimizing resources and stakeholder engagement.
Moderators: Mary Ann Ralls, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, and Kirsten Verclas, National Association
Speaker: Patty Richards, Washington Electric Co-op
View the video recording on YouTube.
View the presentation slides from the session.
February 11, 2020
Utilities must have sufficient resource capacity to reliably meet the aggregate electric power (demand) and energy requirements of electric customers at the times of highest demand and in almost every system condition. Electric reliability involves the balancing of supply and demand, which means that both demand and supply can be considered as reliability management tools. While capacity entails both static output (MW) and ramping or flexible capability (rate of change in MW over time), resource adequacy is a measure of the probability that the utility or region has the capability to meet customer requirements. This panel will provide a basic overview of capacity and resource adequacy, and how the changes in a region’s resource mix and demand capabilities affects capacity and resource adequacy needs. This panel will also review how different regions and markets in the U.S. identify and consider capacity and resource adequacy for reliability planning.
Moderator: Hon. Charlotte Mitchell, North Carolina Utilities Commission
Panelists:
(Presented as session at NARUC Winter Policy Summit and live streamed.)
View the video recording on Periscope.
View the presentation slides from the session.
December 17, 2019
The U.S. Department of Energy has created the DSPx Modern Distribution Grid Report as a multi-volume set of documents that is intended to support development of a consistent understanding of requirements to inform investments in grid modernization. Volume 4, "the Guidebook" is intended as the entry point for the report and a useful reference for discussions among regulators, utilities, and stakeholders. The Guidebook provides a multi-step framework to support development of a grid modernization strategy and investment plans alongside integrated distribution planning and including a comprehensive cost-effectiveness framework. The Modern Grid Report is based on Grid Architecture and several best practices, (e.g., systems engineering, technology management and project management) and was developed under these key principles of the DSPx initiative: broad applicability, business model neutrality, and technology neutrality. The Guidebook has been developed in response to key considerations and questions raised by regulators and utilities in the development grid modernization strategies and implementation plans. These include advancing capabilities that lead to safer, more reliable and resilient systems, and the integration and utilization of distributed resources, as desired.
Moderator: Tricia DeBleeckere, Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
Speaker: Paul De Martini, Newport Consulting
View the video recording on YouTube.
View the presentation slides from the webinar.
November 20, 2019
During this session, attendees will hear about progress made to date, plans for the coming year, and key issues Task Force members are discussing as they develop roadmaps that could serve as starting points for any state. As planning moves from process design to implementation, identifying needs, setting criteria for solutions, and prioritizing investments become paramount. Panelists will discuss emerging thinking on applying energy optimization approaches to planning as planners weigh numerous distributed and centralized options for meeting grid needs. The discussion will also include an overview of modeling tools that can be useful to aide in these efforts and of new investments being made to support planning-related decision making.
Moderator: Chairman Jeff Ackermann, Colorado Public Utilities Commission
Speakers:
(Presented as session at NARUC Annual Meeting and live streamed.)
View the presentation slides from the webinar.
September 25, 2019
This webinar describes ways in which distribution system engineers apply criteria to identify system needs, manage risk, and prioritize projects. The discussion will provide a foundation for understanding the planning process and emerging practices to integrate distributed energy resources (DER).
Moderator: Steve Olea, Policy Advisor to Chairman, Arizona Corporation Commission
Speakers:
View the webinar recording on the NARUC YouTube page.
View the presentation slides from the webinar.
August 21, 2019
Task Force members requested additional opportunities to learn about how distribution system planning is conducted at state utility commissions. This webinar includes experts who have written publications and advised commissions on approaches, plus leading state (and Task Force member) Minnesota about how they have proceeded to date.
Moderator: Danielle Sass-Byrnett, Director, Center for Partnerships & Innovation, NARUC
Speakers:
View the webinar recording on the NARUC YouTube page.
View the presentation slides from the webinar.
July 23, 2019
As more attention moves to the distribution grid and the role that distributed energy resources (DERs) can play in meeting customers’ energy needs, it is imperative for utilities to plan for those resources---many of which will be installed without the kind of centralized planning and control typical for integrated resource planning (IRP)-style resources. Planning for DERs (often through distribution system planning [DSP] or integrated distribution planning [IDP]) includes predicting where the resources will be located, forecasting which kinds of resources will be installed, and calculating load shapes of those resources. This type of forecasting is an evolving field, drawing upon market segmentation practices, predictive analytics, and advanced modeling supported by major computing power. This panel shares innovations in DER forecasting being developed and deployed to date, discussing the abilities and limitations of current approaches.
Moderator: Chairman Jeff Ackermann, Colorado Public Utilities Commission
Speakers:
(Presented as session at NARUC Summer Policy Summit and live streamed.)
View the recording on the NARUC YouTube page.
View the presentation slides from the session.
June 27, 2019
The analysis of outputs from energy planning models is often difficult to understand. This is especially true when explaining the impacts of complex, integrated data sets to stakeholders and policy makers who may not be well-versed in the data and models used in the analyses. It was under these circumstances that the Hawaii State Energy Office partnered with the University of Hawaii’s Laboratory for Advanced Visualization and Applications, Hawaiian Electric Companies, and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to initiate the Hawaii Advanced Visualization Energy Nexus (HAVEN) project. HAVEN is an open source data visualization tool that Hawaii is developing to analyze and communicate the tradeoffs and interdependencies of energy resource plans. It will be available for other states to use at no cost. The webinar includes a demo of HAVEN and a discussion on how HAVEN can support stakeholder engagement in energy planning, led by the Hawaii Energy Office.
Moderator: Chairman James Griffin, Hawaii Public Utility Commission
Speakers:
View the webinar recording on the NARUC YouTube page.
May 16, 2019
Stakeholders are a key party for all Commissions and stakeholder engagement techniques vary from state to state. On this webinar, we take a closer look at a recent, robust stakeholder process in the District of Columbia, called "Modernizing the Energy Delivery System for Increased Sustainability" (MEDSIS) from multiple angles.
Moderator: Wally Nixon, Commission Legal Advisor, Arkansas Public Service Commission
Speakers:
View the webinar recording on the NARUC YouTube page.
View the presentation slides from the webinar.