Core Sector: Energy Resources and the Environment

Grid Data Sharing

State utility regulatory commissions are increasingly being asked to settle questions related to third-party access to power system information, or “grid data,” that utilities use to plan and operate the electricity system. To meet this growing need, NARUC developed a structured grid data sharing framework, applicable across a variety of decision making contexts and tailorable to individual state needs, to facilitate and expedite the decision making process.

NARUC invited state utility regulators, utility leaders, distributed energy resource (DER) developers, and cybersecurity subject matter experts to join the Grid Data Sharing Collaborative. The Collaborative’s goal was to develop a flexible framework for states to use as a starting point to navigate the complex decision-making and trade-offs that surround questions of grid data sharing.

The Grid Data Sharing Framework took shape during a series of Collaborative workshops over more than a year. Participants prioritized grid data sharing use cases, identified potential values and benefits of those use cases, debated possible risks and mitigation options related to grid data sharing, and discussed likely implementation challenges.

The result is a collaboratively developed framework for gathering relevant information and considering grid data sharing options and tradeoffs, along with companion resources to help use the framework in practice.

  • NARUC Grid Data Sharing Factsheet, November 2023
    The Grid Data Sharing Factsheet was created to help guide users in the implementation of the Grid Data Sharing Framework and Playbook along with supporting resources. The NARUC Grid Data Framework is intended to help utility commissions and interested parties effectively address questions related to grid data sharing and to provide a structure for engagement and decision making. The framework is composed of seven topics with a series of questions that can support collecting, examining, and documenting inputs to inform grid data sharing decisions. It is an information collection template, not a process. The framework is detailed throughout the NARUC Grid Data Sharing Factsheet and Playbook.
  • NARUC Grid Data Sharing Playbook, November 2023
    The NARUC Grid Data Sharing Playbook provides a detailed explanation of the Grid Data Sharing Framework and offers examples and insights to assist state utility regulators and interested stakeholders with its use. The Playbook is intended to help decision makers and stakeholders articulate the benefits, challenges, and tradeoffs most appropriate for their jurisdictions. The Playbook does not serve as a step-by-step planning document or a prescriptive set of recommendations. Each utility commission will follow a regulatory process that fits its own needs.
  • Example Use Cases within NARUC Grid Data Sharing Playbook, November 2023
    Three Example Use Cases can be found in the appendix of the playbook: Improving DER Interconnection, Enabling Fleet Vehicle Electrification, and Enabling Distribution Non-Wires Solutions. Grid Data Sharing Collaborative participants developed and iterated on these use cases to support refinement of the Framework. The use cases offer examples of the types of information that could be used to answer the prompt questions in each category of the Framework.
  • Summary of State Practices, November 2023
    This brief summary discusses general trends in regulatory approaches to grid data sharing and outlines key areas of alignment and divergence; an extended summary table at the end of the document outlines the approaches of different states and utilities. In 2024, DOE released a U.S. Atlas of Electric Distribution System Hosting Capacity Maps.

  • Technical Assistance: Grid Data Sharing Expression of Interest, Due April 15, 2024
    NARUC, with support from DOE, will assist up to four utility commissions in applying the Grid Data Sharing Framework to their own state-specific processes. Learn more and submit an expression of interest. 

  • Virtual Walkthrough of NARUC Grid Data Sharing Framework and Playbook, December 6, 2023
    With the release NARUC's Grid Data Sharing Framework and accompanying Grid Data Sharing Playbook, NARUC hosted a webinar where attendees learned more and were guided through these new resources by the authors.

Funders:

NARUC is grateful to the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) and the Office of Electricity (OE) for supporting Grid Data Sharing initiatives.

NARUC staff experts who support these activities include: