Microgrid Knowledge reported on comments submitted to FERC, leading with AEE's: Several groups are urging FERC to give microgrids and distributed energy resources a place at the table as it searches for ways to improve electric grid resilience on the bulk power system.

The groups offered input recently as part of a proceeding (AD18-7-000) that FERC opened after rejecting U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry’s push to subsidize coal-fired power plants. FERC determined that the subsidies aren’t necessary for grid resilience but decided to further explore what is.

FERC’s domain is the bulk power system – centralized power plants and transmission lines – and not the distribution system where distributed energy resources (DERs) reside closer to the customer. But the pro-DER groups are using the proceeding to underscore how DERs increasingly influence and serve the central grid.

“Commission policies that promote greater deployment of advanced energy technologies on the distribution grid, such as policies supporting development of microgrids, will have direct resilience benefits on both the resilience of the transmission grid and distribution grid,” said the Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) in written comments filed with FERC.

Microgrids, energy storage, advanced metering infrastructure, distribution automation, and other forms of advanced energy can “help integrate variable generation, thus improving the system’s resource adequacy while providing other operational benefits such as decreased reliance on fuel delivery infrastructure,” said the business advocacy group.

See the entire Microgrid Knowledge story with AEE's recommendations and comments from others here.