Electric Distribution Planning
Mariam Obregon
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Electric distribution system infrastructure is aging, which can lead to frequent and long-lasting power outages, and can cause unsafe conditions for the public. Utility spending on improving the electric grid is growing. As technology improves and costs decline, customers and developers are increasingly interested in connecting their projects to the utility system. Distribution system plans provide stakeholders and the MPSC information about planned utility investments and allow for customer preferences to be considered as investments are made.
On April 12, 2018, in Case No. U-20147, the MPSC issued an order requiring DTE Electric and Consumers Energy to file their final distribution plans in that docket, asked for Staff and stakeholder comments on the final plan to be filed in the same docket, and required Staff to set up a technical conference to review comments. This technical conference took place on August 7, 2018. In a November 2018 order, the Commission addressed the Staff's September 1, 2018, recommendations and provided other guidance on the next round of distribution plans which are scheduled for the second quarter 2020. Staff will continue to engage stakeholders on these topics.
Additionally, the MPSC ordered Indiana Michigan Power to submit a draft five-year distribution plan by October 31, 2018 and a final plan by May 1, 2019. Comments on this plan were submitted in the U-20147 docket.
Twenty-six states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico are either investigating (18), implementing (4), or have established (6) enhanced distribution planning practices. In addition to technical challenges (e.g. visibility and control of DERs), clean energy mandates and grid modernization proceedings have driven increased movement towards integrated distribution planning (IDP). As more states consider IDP, our industry will need to bridge the gap between regulators and utilities in understanding the technical and implementation challenges utilities face.
This is where SEPA can help. Over the past year, SEPA conducted a series of interviews with utilities and other industry experts to understand and document these key challenges and considerations. Insights from the report, Integrated Distribution Planning: A Framework for the Future follow.
IDP state regulatory activity is not limited to traditional thought leaders such as California, Hawaii, and New York. In fact, Minnesota, Nevada, and Rhode Island have executed distribution planning processes under updated planning requirements. Comparing the goals and objectives of IDP in these six states highlights several commonalities, such as increased coordination within the planning processes, a focus on sourcing DER solutions for grid constraints, and stakeholder engagement for enhanced transparency. Despite these commonalities, execution towards their goals will depend on the unique characteristics of each state, including current regulatory constructs and grid constraints.
The SEPA IDP Framework
As part of the study, SEPA developed an IDP Framework to illustrate the phased progression of each IDP element (core and additional), starting from a traditional planning process, and advancing to an aspirational future state of IDP.
With this framework, utilities and their stakeholders may identify the key elements relevant to them, where they are (e.g., Phase 2 of Forecasting), and the future state they are seeking to achieve (e.g., Phase 3 of Forecasting). A utility may be in different phases across elements (e.g., Phase 2 of Forecasting, Phase 3 of Interconnection), and their targeted future state may vary.
SEPA is planning follow-up IDP research evaluating the tools, technologies, and processes needed to move from one phase to another within the phased IDP framework. Interested in getting involved? Contact Email [email protected]
Harry manages and executes the delivery of products, programs and services to utility and energy industry clients to facilitate the integration of distributed energy resources and modernize the electric power grid.
Since joining SEPA in 2017, Harry has executed projects for a variety of utilities, commissions, and other industry organizations. He brings experience on topics related to emerging DER technologies and strategy, utility planning, and grid modernization proceedings across the country.
Brenda is a Director at SEPA and has focused much of her time investigating the proliferation and integration of resources along the grid. She covers a range of topics including integrated distribution planning, non-wires alternatives, and demand flexibility. Prior to joining SEPA, Brenda worked as a consultant on Utility of the Future and grid modernization efforts.
An Integrated Distribution System Planning (IDSP) process provides a decision framework for developing holistic infrastructure investment strategies for local electricity grids. The planning process involves the determination of grid system requirements that are needed to achieve reliability, resilience, safety, affordability, and other objectives, such as equity and decarbonization. The process includes the development of a technology roadmap to modernize the grid and enable the integration, utilization, and orchestration of grid-edge technologies like storage, microgrids, and electric vehicles. Given the increasing complexity of demands on grid performance, IDSP provides a platform for holistic decision-making and the formulation of staged investment strategies.
The Department intends to advance IDSP practices through guidance documents, best practices, and training for state officials and utilities. The goals are also to provide technical assistance to state energy officials and utility regulators and to improve upon the IDSP practices.
Plans, organizes, and manages the implementation of PG&E's distribution capacity and reliability strategies, programs, and initiatives. Incumbents oversee engineers who develop and implement PG&E's distribution planning strategy and improvement initiatives. This includes program management activities for capital work associated with substation and line capacity projects for the distribution system. The leadership works with key department personnel, senior management, engineering teams, business partners and others to successfully implement the company's investment strategies and initiatives.
This position is hybrid, working from your remote office and the Sacramento office based on business needs. The successful candidate will be required to work in the Sacramento office three days a week.
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Synergi Electric electrical simulation software models and analyses power distribution systems in a real world spatial environment in full detail from the substation to the customer. Synergi provides power engineers the flexibility to model their power distribution systems over a 10-year period down to the second on radial, looped and mesh network systems on multiple voltages and configurations.
Power companies face an ongoing struggle to maintain safe, reliable and profitable operations among increasing consumer demands and regulatory oversight. Power distribution system planning, protection and reliability are critical to utility survival.
DNV offers a comprehensive collection of power distribution system analysis tools to support your operational needs, including custom applications built on our COM Solver API, Python scripting and product integration services with enterprise systems and processes.
The professional Software Consulting experts utilize industry best practices, combining electric grid engineering domain knowledge with product based software solutions, to help you maximize your return on investment and get the software solution in place.
The integration of distributed energy resources into the electric power system is profoundly changing how we plan, build and operate the system. These new resources pose a challenge and an opportunity for distribution utilities, transmission system operators, retail energy suppliers and regulators. This manual, produced by a committee of volunteers associated with the Mid-Atlantic Distributed Resources Initiative, is designed to assist utility commissions in the restructured jurisdictions that participate in MADRI with guiding and overseeing the development of integrated distribution plans (IDPs) for electric utilities. Commissions in other states may also find it useful.
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