National Labs to help 21 public utility commissions pondering grid transformations
In order to help state utility regulators navigate and overcome the challenges of a changing electric grid, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) selected 21 public utility commissions this week to receive technical assistance from its National Laboratories.
Experts from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory will be made available to regulators. They will help these public officials with their facilities’ modeling capabilities and provide up to two years of technical assistance to help them navigate critical topics such as equity, distributed energy adoption and integration, grid planning and energy resilience.
“Public utility commissions are at the front lines of our energy transition,” Kelly Speakes-Backman, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, said. “Rapid technological advancements and clean energy goals present changes to the status quo — but also great opportunities for consumers. These efforts can help to make the grid more reliable, face climate change, and increase equity.”
Beneficiaries of this arrangement include commissions from:
- Arkansas
- California
- Hawaii
- Iowa
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- Maine
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Utah
- Washington
- Wisconsin
Each will be supported through the DOE’s Grid Modernization initiative, which is working to coordinate research and development, reduce environmental impact and keep the grid secure all the while. The goal is to help state regulators with important decisions on improving grid reliability and resiliency, adopting new technologies, promoting energy and environmental justice, and crafting plans to decarbonize electric grids throughout the country.
