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The United States has a transmission problem. Wind and solar curtailments are increasing, interconnection queues for new projects can take years to complete, reliability is eroding, and in some places we are unable to retire expensive, aging, and polluting power plants because there is no way to bring in other resources. Our transmission investment is…

Introduction It’s clear that the entire energy sector is in the midst of a paradigm change, spurred by new technology, the need to reduce carbon dioxide and other pollutants to protect our environment, and changes in the economic picture of energy sources. We are now working toward high levels of renewable energy as a path…

The electricity industry is in the midst of a dramatic transformation. In the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) region, the generation fleet is shifting away from large fossil-fueled power plants that typically operated around the clock and toward smaller, weather-dependent renewables such as wind and solar generators. Adjacent industries are also putting pressure on the…

The electric power industry is in the midst of a significant transition from a predominantly centralized and fossil fuel-based system to one that is increasingly decarbonized, digital, and distributed. Notably, distributed energy resources (DERs) are expected to grow very rapidly in the near and medium term. According to a National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) November…

When the Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) was launched by the California Independent System Operator (ISO) and PacifiCorp in 2014, not everyone was upbeat about its prospects. In a region long known for strong adherence to local control and self-determination, it was an open question whether disparate energy providers across the West could find common…

Two distinct public policy goals affecting the nation’s high voltage transmission network captured the attention of the US Congress and the Biden administration in 2021: resilience against severe weather, and decarbonization. Broad support for these twin goals put 2021 atop the Olympic medal podium for national transmission policy through the passage of a set of…

What stands in the way of a rapid energy transition? Cost? Unlikely—witness recent cost reductions for solar, wind, batteries, heat pumps, and electrolysis. Material shortages? Maybe temporarily, but wherever you look there are substitutes for scarce resources: rare-earth-free wind turbines and electric motors, copper for silver in PV, batteries without cobalt. Land? On paper we…

Distributed energy resources (DERs), especially rooftop photovoltaic (PV) generation, have made significant penetration at the distribution system level in many parts of the world. In certain solar-resource rich regions like Arizona, this penetration at the distribution system level has created new operating challenges. This provides opportunities for efficient control of distribution system voltage, provided that…

The operational use of wind and solar power production forecasts has become widespread in the electric power industry. Their benefits for the management of weather-dependent generation variability have been documented in a number of studies. However, there is considerable evidence that the full value of wind and solar forecasts is often not realized in many…

The energy transition is trying to fit a square peg into a round hole—variable, renewable generation into a grid built for thermal generators. To stop climate change, we must adapt this system as cost-effectively and as quickly as possible to deliver variable generation, often from far-flung sunny and windy regions, to load centers. Grid-Enhancing technologies…