Advanced Energy Perspectives

Throughout the course of the year, Advanced Energy United has been growing, spreading our footprint across new states, increasing staff capacity, and, most recently, expanding our Board of Directors. This week, we officially recognize and welcome several new board members whose companies have made strategic commitments in support of our mission and our organization.

Advanced Energy United is the only industry association in the U.S. that represents the full range of advanced energy technologies and services, both grid-scale and distributed. The companies joining the Board – from industries as varied as transmission development, DER management, and vehicle fleet electrification – showcase the unique range of United’s transformative engagement where advanced energy business leaders collaborate on strategies that lead to market-changing policy. 

In the rapidly evolving energy landscape, a growing number of distributed energy resources (DERs) are being deployed on the grid, providing flexibility, resilience, cost savings, and clean energy to communities. However, as the number of grid-connected DERs grows, their full potential will only be realized if the right grid infrastructure is in place, including transmission systems that complement and support DER deployment.  

Yes, that’s right; getting the most out of DERs is not just about making changes to the distribution system. A new report by Strategen, Better Together: The Benefits of Coordination in the Development of Transmission and Distributed Energy Resources, explores the symbiotic relationship between transmission and DERs. 

Earlier this week, Advanced Energy United (United) co-hosted and organized an Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) candidate forum, bringing together interested member companies from the United West Working Group to engage in thoughtful conversations and dialogue with ACC candidates.

One of the biggest challenges facing our nation’s economic growth – and one of the largest threats to consumer energy costs and the reliability of our electricity system – is the ability to quickly connect new, large-scale energy resources to the transmission grid.

There’s now roughly 2,600 GW worth of energy sources stuck waiting in line to connect to the power grid (more than double the capacity of the current electricity system), held back by an antiquated way of studying and approving transmission grid upgrades. This process, known as ‘generator interconnection,’ was designed for an increasingly bygone era. In an era of more dynamic, more cost-effective, more distributed advanced energy resources, grid operators and electric utilities need a new approach for bringing new energy resources online. 

On August 29, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (the Department) issued a pivotal order that could shape the state’s future energy landscape. This ruling marks a significant, though incremental, step toward modernizing the Commonwealth’s distribution grid, offering a preliminary roadmap to guide Massachusetts on its journey toward a more advanced energy infrastructure.