Better Together: The Benefits of Coordination in the Development of Transmission and Distributed Energy Resources

Posted by Reports on Sep 16, 2024 8:30:00 AM

Publish Date: September 16, 2024

Historically, because transmission and distributed energy resources (DERs) exist on opposite ends of the electricity system, the two resources have often been planned, developed, and operated in silos. Conversations on the interplay between transmission and DERs often focus on these resources as substitutes for each other, rather than acknowledging the ways they can work in concert to achieve clean energy goals. However, as the clean energy revolution accelerates, the need for an integrated approach to energy infrastructure has never been more urgent.  

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Topics: Transmission, Distributed Energy Resources

Advanced Energy United Generator Interconnection Scorecard

Posted by Reports on Mar 6, 2024 4:56:04 PM

Publish Date: February 26, 2024; Updated: March 7, 2024

Currently, over one million megawatts of generator and storage projects are actively seeking to connect to the U.S. transmission grid. The various grid interconnection processes across the nation have been slow and received criticism from a wide range of stakeholders for being dysfunctional. The 2024 Advanced Energy United Generator Interconnection Scorecard evaluates the outcomes and processes of the generator interconnection process across the seven U.S. regional grid operators (the RTOs/ISOs), finding some bright spots and room for significant improvement.

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Topics: Wholesale Markets, Transmission

ERCOT 2040: A Roadmap for Modernizing Texas’ Electricity Infrastructure

Posted by Reports on Jul 17, 2023 8:00:00 AM

Publish Date: July 17, 2023

Released by IdeaSmiths LLC and co-funded by Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance (Advanced Energy United's Texas state chapter) and Advanced Energy United, "ERCOT 2040: A Roadmap for Modernizing Texas' Electricity Infrastructure" outlines the most cost-effective path for the Texas electric grid to meet the state’s energy needs by 2040.

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Topics: Texas, Transmission

Understanding FERC’s Proposal for Relieving Interconnection Delays

Posted by Reports on Sep 27, 2022 5:24:00 PM

Publish Date: September 26, 2022

On June 16, 2022, FERC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) proposing changes to its regulations governing interconnection processes and agreements. The NOPR comes as interconnection delays across the country are slowing project development, with three times as many requests waiting in interconnection queues today as there were five years ago. FERC’s NOPR seeks to resolve these backlogs by proposing solutions that balance increased requirements for interconnecting generators to demonstrate commercial viability and “readiness” to stay in the interconnection queue and firmer obligations for transmission providers to complete studies on time.

“Understanding FERC’s Proposal for Relieving Interconnection Delays” summarizes the key provisions of FERC’s NOPR, describes how FERC proposes to change the responsibilities of interconnection customers and transmission providers, and highlights the challenges that FERC will need to address in a final ruling in order to break the delays and wait times that plague clean energy projects today.

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Topics: State Policy, Wholesale Markets, Transmission

Western RTO Economic Impact Studies

Posted by Reports on Jul 26, 2022 2:21:06 PM

Updated: December 4, 2023; region-wide analysis published July 26, 2022

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Topics: State Policy, Wholesale Markets, Transmission, Western RTO