NARUC selected for NREL solar energy research team

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently selected the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) to participate in collaborative research on how solar energy can improve the resiliency of the U.S. electric grid.

NARUC will work with PJM Interconnection and Converge Strategies LLC on the research project and explore how states and other energy stakeholders approach system resilience. The research will place a particular focus on opportunities for solar photovoltaic (PV) plus storage, including as a black start resource. The team will work with stakeholders to identify knowledge gaps and produce resources to address these gaps.

“NARUC’s Solar Energy Innovation Network project with PJM Interconnection and Converge Strategies LLC has excellent potential to uncover new opportunities for solar energy to make our energy supply both more environmentally friendly and more resilient to natural disasters, cyber and physical attacks and other emerging threats,” NARUC President John Betkoski III said.

The project is part of the larger Solar Energy Innovation Network, which includes nine teams studying a range of solar issues. NARUC will provide financial, analytical and facilitation support to the network.