Smart Electric Power Alliance releases transactive energy report

The Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) recently released a report exploring the topic of transactive energy in alignment with its newly announced Utility Business Models pathway.

Transactive energy systems, SEPA said, are made up of coordinated participants that use automated tools to communicate and exchange energy according to value and grid constraints. These systems can help utilities with grid planning, operation and oversight as distributed energy resources (DERs) become more prominent.

The report, Transactive Energy: Real-World Applications for an Evolving Grid, breaks down the definition of transactive energy and includes four real-world case studies from utilities. The case studies include a distribution system platform (DSP) demonstration in Buffalo, New York; a microgrid project in Isle au Haut, Maine; the Olympic Peninsula Demonstration Project in Olympic Peninsula, Washington; and the Retail Automated Transactive Energy System (RATES) Pilot in Thousand Oaks, California.

“Today, many people view transactive energy as just a buzzword, but the reality is — there are successful projects already in place,” Medha Surampudy, author and senior research associate at SEPA, said. “In an increasingly distributed energy environment, utilities have a role in facilitating micro-transactions. Regulatory and infrastructure developments are needed to scale these systems, but it’s no longer just a hypothetical.”

The transactive energy report follows SEPA’s announcement of its four pathways aimed at facilitating the transition to a carbon-free future: Grid Integration, Utility Business Models, Regulatory Innovation, and Transportation Electrification.