With all of the headlines and buzz about the DER transition, it is sometimes easy to miss the on-the-ground hard work going on to create a foundation for its success. This involves the creation of new relevant planning, market, and operational frameworks for consideration by regulators, utilities and stakeholders. More than Smart (MTS) is a non-profit organization that convenes industry stakeholders to drive policy and regulatory changes to enable distributed energy to be leveraged for enhanced grid value. MTS is actively engaged in multiple state venues, including NY, Minnesota, Hawaii, but in particular California. Most recently, the organization has been charged by the CPUC to coordinate two state working groups focused on the Distribution Resource Plan (DRP) proceeding, one focused on mapping where distribution systems have Interconnection Capacity (ICA), and the other focused on DER Valuation called Locational Net Benefits (LNBA). These are two critical areas within the proceeding to create transparency around where the grid can accommodate DERs and what the expected value they will have. The work of the stakeholder groups (available here) will be used to develop consensus on a recommended approach for ICA and LNBA maps that will be required to be produced by the utilities, expected by summer 2017. These are viewed as foundational planning pieces toward streamlining DER siting and enabling DERs to capture locational benefits based on avoiding utility distribution investments.

Another foundational piece that MTS is working toward is a framework for data sharing related to utility distribution planning. This set of issues will be laid out in a paper to be released within the next month describing the kinds of data that could and should be shared in order to support both the activities of the DRP proceeding as well as the Integrated DER proceeding that parallels it and is focused on DER procurements. Data relating to system needs, traditional solution sets and capabilities, and forecasts are all elements that have been discussed as potentially being important for supporting these efforts.

Beyond a planning focus, MTS is also working to understand how power system operations will evolve in the future with a greater role for DER aggregators. Issues around forecasts, market bidding coordination, resource deliverability, and distribution operations needs to name a few, are being addressed through ongoing working group discussions. The discussions are being lead by the CAISO and PG&E with MTS serving a facilitation role and a variety of other stakeholders (utilities, DER providers, consultants) participating.

Finally, MTS is engaging in discussions with stakeholders across the country as part of an effort with DOE to help define the attributes of the future distribution system platform. This work is focused around determining what the capabilities and requirements will be for a distribution platform that will be able to facilitate the kinds of DER operation and grid support being contemplated. Discussions around requirements for DERMS, situational awareness, state estimation, etc, are going to be happening with a focus on defining the gaps in existing products and the needs for software capabilities in the next 5 years. A one day workshop is going to be held in conjunction with the upcoming National Distributed Energy Future conference in San Francisco in November to dig into these issues in more depth.

While the nitty gritty issues MTS is delving into with stakeholders may not make headlines, these are critical ones for ensuring that the policy changes being enacted to pave the way for an enhanced role for DERs on the grid are successful ones. Having a non-regulatory environment to openly discuss the issues from multiple viewpoints is essential to developing the right outcomes.

Obadiah Bartholomy
Manager, Distributed Energy Resources
Sacramento Municipal Utility District