At the 2018 Annual Meeting and Workshop in Denver, CO, the National Council on Electricity Policy (NCEP) gathered state decision makers and stakeholders to discuss the state of interfaces between distribution and transmission systems in light of increasing distributed energy resources. NCEP 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.
In 2019, NCEP further explored the topic of interfaces between the distribution and transmission systems by focusing on transmission, distribution, and customer (TDC) system interfaces, taking a closer look at operational needs and their influence on planning and markets.
Session descriptions and links to presentations follow.
NCEP initiated a new award in memory of Jeannette “Jan” Brinch, who passed away in 2018 and energetically facilitated the National Council on Electricity Policy (NCEP) from 2014 – 2018. Jan’s career was marked by progress on energy and environmental issues from a wide range of public service positions. One of the hallmarks of her success in each of these roles was her desire to collaborate with others with diverse perspectives, positions, and organizations. This award honors other public servants who similarly view their positions as opportunities to bring people together to accomplish public interest goals in the electricity sector.
Cheryl LaFleur is the inaugural award recipient. Read more in the press release.
In this session, attendees learned fundamentals of grid architecture, why they are important to understand, and what parts of the transmission, distribution, and customer systems need most attention and coordination.
Moderator: Hon. Nick Wagner, Iowa
Panelists:
In this session, attendees gained an understanding of coordination principles and how to apply them including a framework, approaches, and consideration of roles and responsibilities.
Moderator: Hon. Ted Thomas, Arkansas
Panelists:
In this session, attendees heard multiple perspectives on case studies from states that have been working to clarify objectives of coordination and work through coordination principles.
Moderator: Hon. ToNola Brown-Bland, North Carolina
Panelists:
This session discussed communications network needs and options to enhance coordination between customer (grid edge) devices, distribution system operators, and independent system operators.
Moderator: Chris Villarreal, Plugged In Strategies (for discussion)
Panelists:
In this session, attendees heard multiple perspectives on two case studies from states that have been working to tackle communications network coordination challenges.
Moderator: Michael Dowd, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Panelists:
Pecan Street is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that addresses technology, behavior, and how the two interact with energy, water, and transportation systems. With over 1,100 residential volunteers and state-of-the-art technology, Pecan Street has recently developed capabilities to access one-second, appliance-level home energy data, and can bring a fleet of residential storage online in 8 seconds. On the site visit, NCEP members spoke with engineers on-the-ground about what it means to have an efficient, information-driven electricity system. Visit www.PecanStreet.org for more information.