Background: As investments in new energy-related technologies, products, and activities are underway— many of which impact planning, operations, and markets along both the transmission and distribution parts of the grid—state policy-makers and others are being called upon to make decisions that will affect customer services and utility grid modernization efforts. Increasingly, energy decision makers at local, state, and regional levels are foreseeing that their decisions will impact how the grid operates at customer locations, across the distribution system, and into the transmission system. The intersection points of these stakeholders and systems are not fully understood, as technologies and processes are evolving all the time.
NCEP’s 2018 annual meeting explored this evolution and specifically the impact that DERs are and will have on the transmission and distribution systems in the contexts of planning, operations, and markets. Such DERs include energy efficiency, distributed generation (e.g., solar photovoltaics), energy storage, demand response, electric vehicles, and more.
Format: Each panel included two example “snapshots,” that highlight recent experiences with transmission and distribution grid intersections. During these snapshots, the following questions will be addressed, so that all state decision-makers will have the opportunity to learn from others’ experiences and make better informed decisions moving forward.
Session descriptions and links to presentations follow.
Optional Site Visit
NCEP Annual Meeting and Workshop participants were invited to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for a presentation on its Distribution System 3D Visualization Model, as well as a short tour of the Energy Systems Integration Facility.
Moderator: John Chatburn, Idaho Governor’s Office of Energy and Mineral Resources
Presenters:
Working Lunch: Updates from NCEP Partners
Speakers:
Planning for Distribution-Level Services that Support the Transmission System
Moderator: Honorable Paul Kjellander, Idaho Public Utilities Commission
Snapshot Presenters:
Regional Transmission Planning that Incorporates Non-Wires Solutions on the Distribution System
Moderator: Honorable Betty Ann Kane, DC Public Service Commission
Snapshot Presenters:
Snapshots & Input from Workshop Participants
Facilitator: Danielle Sass Byrnett, NARUC Center for Partnerships & Innovation
Evolving Transmission & Distribution System Operations: Examples of Enhanced Visibility, Coordination, and Communications
Moderator: Honorable Nick Wagner, Iowa Utilities Board
Snapshot Presenters:
Enhancing Transmission and Distribution System Interface for Resilience Benefits
Moderator: Tanya McCloskey, Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate
Snapshot Presenters:
Snapshots & Input from Workshop Participants
Facilitator: Kerry Worthington, NARUC Center for Partnerships & Innovation
DER Investments that Are Providing Services to the Transmission & Distribution System
Moderator: Honorable Elizabeth “Lib” Fleming, South Carolina Public Service Commission
Snapshot Presenters:
The Value of Distributed Energy Resources to the Grid
Moderator: Michael Dowd, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Snapshot Presenters:
Tracking Results and Quantifying DER Impacts on the Transmission and Distribution Systems
Moderator: Representative Tom Sloan, Kansas House of Representatives
Snapshot Presenters:
Snapshots & Input from Workshop Participants
Facilitator: Jan Brinch, National Council on Electricity Policy
Luncheon Roundtable: Support for and Recognition of Customer Needs and Expectations
Moderator: Honorable Paul Kjellander, Idaho Public Utilities Commission
NCEP Perspectives: