[USA] DOE announces $34 million in funding for technologies to underground power lines

On January 16, 2024, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced $34 million for 12 projects across 11 states to strengthen and modernize America’s aging power grid through the development of cost-effective, high-speed, and safe undergrounding technologies.[1] Selected projects in the program, called the Grid Overhaul with Proactive, High-speed Undergrounding for Reliability, Resilience, and Security (GOPHURRS), will advance innovative solutions to help upgrade and expand the nation’s grid infrastructure—lowering costs, reducing inefficiencies, mitigating disruptions from extreme weather events, and accelerating the adoption of renewable clean energy resources.

The electric power distribution system in the U.S. has over 5.5 million line-miles with over 180 million power poles and is susceptible to damage by weather and its effects, accounting for a majority of power outages in the country each year. Extreme weather events fueled by climate change are increasing the frequency and intensity of power outages across the U.S. Undergrounding power lines can improve the system reliability for both transmission and distribution grids. Managed by DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), projects under the program will play a critical role in developing technologies to reduce costs, increase speed, and improve the safety of undergrounding operations.“Modernizing our nation’s power grid is essential to building a clean energy future that lowers energy costs for working Americans and strengthens our national security,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “With today’s announcement, DOE is supporting teams across the country as they develop innovative approaches to burying power infrastructure underground—increasing our resilience and bringing our aging grid into the 21st Century.”

[1] https://arpa-e.energy.gov/news-and-media/press-releases/us-department-energy-announces-34-million-improve-reliability

[USA] ComEd announces expansion of 765 kV substation in Illinois to support wind and solar interconnection

On December 12, 2023, ComEd announced an expansion of its 765 kW Wilton Center substation, which the utility says will support utility-scale onshore wind and solar projects in Illinois and the larger PJM energy market.[1] The substation expansion is expected to be completed in late 2026. The Wilton Center substation, constructed in 1968 near Joliet, Illinois, supports ComEd’s highest voltage transmission lines, which are used for long-distance power transmission because they minimize the amount of power lost as electricity moves from one location to the next. The facility will be expanded by approximately 50%. Work will include adding new circuit breakers, transformers, relay switches, network data, and control systems. When the expansion is completed, the substation should be able to support five wind farms and two solar farms with the capacity for up to 2,450 MW of renewable energy.

Currently, ComEd is currently working on 13 wind projects throughout Illinois, amounting to 3,120 MW of potential wind generation. One of the projects that will be supported by the Wilton Center substation is the 850 MW Heritage Prairie wind farm. The farm, which also includes 300 MW of solar generation, will be the largest wind interconnection in northern Illinois and the largest onshore wind project to date in PJM.

[1] https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231212571627/en/ComEd-Expanding-High-Voltage-Substation-in-Wilton-Center-to-Enable-Largest-Cluster-of-Wind-and-Solar-Projects-in-Illinois-and-PJM-Region

[USA] DOE releases draft road map for improving grid interconnection processes

On October 25, 2023, the Department of Energy (DOE) released a draft roadmap for transforming grid interconnection processes.[1] The draft plan was developed through the DOE’s Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange(i2X) stakeholder initiative and is intended to serve as a practical guide for implementing near- and long-term solutions to interconnect clean energy sources and to clear the existing backlog of renewable projects seeking to get built. New clean energy projects must go through complicated approval processes before they come online. The high volume of projects in the interconnection queue has led to uncertainties, delays, inequities, and increased costs. The draft plan focuses on four areas: increasing interconnection data access and transparency, improving the process (including speeding it up), promoting economic efficiency, and maintaining grid reliability. It calls for ensuring more equal access to interconnection queues. DOE released a request for information (RFI) to solicit input from interconnection stakeholders, and responses are due by November 22, 2023. The department expects to finalize the roadmap and release a draft second volume that focuses on the distribution grid in the coming months.

[1] https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/doe-releases-draft-roadmap-improve-interconnection-clean-energy-resources-nations

[USA] Entergy proposes $1B grid hardening program in New Orleans

On October 17, 2023, Entergy New Orleans launched a $1 billion grid hardening program called “Operation: Gridiron.” [1] The initiative aims to make the New Orleans, Louisiana, grid stronger and prepare for more frequent, stronger storms. It was developed in response to a request by the city council following Hurricane Ida in 2021, and the company is now seeking approval for its plan from the council. The company would file progress reports with the city council every six months if approved. The plan would be put in place in two five-year phases. The proposed first phase would save customers about $216 million in storm restoration costs over 50 years. The company plans to recover costs via a “resilience and storm hardening” cost rider added to customer bills. Entergy said the plan would cut outage times by more than half and save customers millions of dollars. The proposed plan will upgrade thousands of poles to withstand 150 mph winds and harden 650 miles of power lines.

[1] https://www.entergynewsroom.com/news/entergy-new-orleans-announces-operation-gridiron-making-new-orleans-grid-stronger/

[USA] ESIG report: EV charging plans should consider grid needs

According to a new report released by the Energy Systems Integration Group (ESIG), a nonprofit focused on grid transformation, on April 4, 2023, state transportation plans created to access funds from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula program do not consider the locational needs of the U.S. power grid.[1] The NEVI program was created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and provides $5 billion to states to develop a national electric vehicle (EV) charging network. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved plans submitted by all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico in 2022.

As EV sales increase and charging stations are built, new demands will be placed on electric utilities. ESIG’s report, titled “Leveraging Locational and Temporal Flexibility in Transportation Electrification to Benefit Power Systems,” examined how locationally flexible demand from EVs could be used to address grid needs. It considered potential use cases and their challenges, identified key questions around designing incentives, and offered ideas for regulators and policymakers as they work to support EV infrastructure. The report finds that “Well-managed electrification across the distribution and transmission systems can reduce overall costs and emissions, improve equity outcomes, and help smooth variability in wind and solar generation.” Optimally connecting EV loads means charging site planning “should consider transmission and distribution constraints and locations where customers can take advantage of lower power prices.”

[1] https://www.esig.energy/leveraging-locational-and-temporal-flexibility-in-transportation-electrification-to-benefit-power-systems/

[USA] ACPA and RENEW complaint claims ISO-NE’s market rules are biased toward natural gas generators

In a complaint filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on March 15, 2022, the American Clean Power Association (ACPA) and RENEW Northeast argue that ISO New England (ISO-NE) gives some natural gas-fired power plants an unfair advantage in the grid operator’s capacity and operating reserves markets by assuming that these resources will always have fuel supplies and be able to operate.[1] By comparison, ISO-NE considers how much capacity other resource types can consistently deliver, resulting in renewable resources having accredited capacity below their nameplate capacity. The complaint says that about 9.2 GW of pipeline-supplied gas-fired capacity in New England lacks a backup fuel source. This equals about 28% of the capacity that cleared the grid operator’s most recent capacity auction. The renewable energy trade groups claimed that the grid operator’s preferences for natural gas-fired generators lowers capacity, real-time reserve, and real-time energy prices, thereby creating barriers to renewable energy and energy storage facilities.

ISO-NE is starting a stakeholder process to consider how Effective Load Carrying Capability (ELCC) techniques could be used in quantifying resource capacity contributions to regional resource adequacy, which could address some of the complaint’s concerns. However, the new methodology would be in place until June 2028, so the complaint requests that FERC require ISO-NE to change its capacity accreditation rules by mid-2027.

[1] https://cleanpower.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2022-03-15-Full-complaint-FINAL.pdf

[USA] House Democrats request more details from LUMA Energy regarding its handling of Puerto Rico's grid

On October 8, 2021, Representatives Katie Porter (D-CA) and Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ)[1] sent a letter to the head of LUMA Energy, Puerto Rico's electric utility, asking for additional details on staffing levels, expenditures, executive compensation, and a stretch of power outages.[2] In June 2021, LUMA took over operating the island's distribution and transmission infrastructure from the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) as part of an agreement with Puerto Rico's Public-Private Partnership Agreement. The takeover is an effort to overcome PREPA's bankruptcy and is intended to help Puerto Rico rebuild its grid after Hurricane Maria destroyed it in 2017.

The letter from the congressmen follows an oversight hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee on October 6, 2021, during which LUMA President and CEO Wayne Stensby failed to answer some of the committee's questions completely. The letter claims that since LUMA's take over, "conditions have worsened." The House Democrats highlight several issues, including a fire at LUMA's Monacillo substation in June 2021 that knocked out power to 800,000 customers. In addition, service complaints have more than doubling since the takeover. Despite these issues, LUMA has already tried to increase rates despite promises to keep them constant for the first three years of operation. The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau recently rejected the utility's request to recover $52 million in additional fuel and other costs in June and July 2021.

Rep. Porter and Rep. Grijalva argue that "One potential reason for these issues has been the size and experience of LUMA's workforce." According to the letter, over 3,000 of the 4,200 PREPA employees eligible to be transitioned "did not move to LUMA and instead transferred to other departments in the Puerto Rican government," despite LUMA's contract requiring qualified PREPA employees to be prioritized in the hiring process. Among other requests, the letter asks LUMA for a detailed breakdown of the number of employees and their experience levels across a variety of positions.

[1] Representative Porter is chair of the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and Representative Grijalva is chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources.

[2] https://naturalresources.house.gov/imo/media/doc/HNRC%20Document%20Request%20-%20LUMA%20Energy%20-%2010.8.2021.pdf

[USA] National Grid and PPL announce pair of multi-billion-dollar deals

On March 18, 2021, National Grid (Headquarters: London, U.K.) and PPL Corp. (Headquarters: Allentown, Pennsylvania) announced two agreements that the companies claim will help them better align their assets with their clean energy strategies.[1][2] PPL will sell its U.K. utility business, Western Power Distribution (WPD), to National Grid for $10.9 billion. WPD is comprised of four electricity distribution companies that serve 7.9 million customers in central and southwest England and south Wales. In a separate transaction, National Grid will sell its Rhode Island utility, Narragansett Electric Company, for an equity value of $3.8 billion. Narragansett Electric is the largest electricity transmission and distribution service in Rhode Island, serving roughly 780,000 customers. As a part of the announcement, National Grid says it will also initiate a sales process for a majority stake in its National Grid Gas Transmission business in the U.K. The transactions follow an August 2020 press release in which PPL announced that it planned to sell WPD in order to shift its focus to U.S. utility investments and clean energy investments to improve share value.[3] National Grid says the “increased exposure” to the U.K.’s electricity sector will allow that company to take “a more holistic approach” and help the UK’s net zero ambitions.[4]

[1] https://www.nationalgridus.com/News/2021/03/The-Narragansett-Electric-Company-to-join-PPL-Corporation-/

[2] https://pplweb.mediaroom.com/2021-03-18-PPL-Corporation-to-sell-U-K-utility-business-to-National-Grid-and-acquire-National-Grids-Rhode-Island-utility-strategically-repositioning-PPL-as-a-high-growth-U-S-focused-energy-company

[3] https://pplweb.mediaroom.com/2020-08-10-PPL-Corporation-Launches-Process-to-Sell-U-K-Business-Reposition-Itself-as-U-S-Focused-Utility-Company

[4] https://www.nationalgrid.com/repositioning-national-grids-portfolio

[USA] Report: Grid-enhancing technologies could be key to solving grid congestion

According to a new study released on February 24, 2021 by the Working for Advanced Transmission Technologies (WATT) Coalition, a group of six transmission technology providers, moderate investments in technologies that boost power grid efficiency could be key to solving electric grid congestion.[1] The study, titled “Unlocking the Queue,” was done by the Brattle Group at the request of the WATT Coalition and funded by GridLab, EDF Renewables North America, NextEra Energy Resources, and Duke Energy Renewables. The study quantified the benefits of three grid-enhancing technologies (GETs): dynamic line ratings, advanced power flow control, and topology optimization. These technologies could enable Kansas and Oklahoma to integrate 5,200 MW of renewables currently in interconnection queues by 2025, which is more than double what is possible without those technologies.

At a national scale, the WATT Coalition argues that GETs would have benefits such as reduce carbon emissions by 90 million tons per year, provide $5 billion in yearly energy cost savings, create 350,000 total jobs, and double the amount of renewable energy that can integrated. To unlock the benefits the study found, the Watt Coalition recommends four legislative and regulatory actions: 1) federal infrastructure stimulus should invest in deployment of GETs, 2) the federal regulators should require GETs be considered in transmission planning, 3) federal regulators should establish incentives for GETs deployment, and 4) GETs should be offered to renewable developers as a least-cost solution to connect to the grid.

[1] https://watt-transmission.org/2021/02/22/unlocking-the-queue/

[Japan] Tohoku Electric Power Began Adopting Non-Firm Grid Connection Method to Adapt to Increase the Use of Renewable Energy

On January 13, 2021, Tohoku Electric Power (Tohoku, Headquarters: Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture) announced it has adopted a non-firm grid connection method to give operators more flexibility to control the power output generated from renewable energy generation, in order to better deal with increased sources of renewable energy. The grid connection is a method of connecting and accessing new energy sources by utilizing the free available capacity of power transmission and transformation equipment, including transmission lines. The non-firm method also allows operators to curtail their output, along with their capacity status, even in normal times.[1] The Japanese government has directed all of its transmission and distribution operators to begin to adopt the non-firm method from January 13, 2021. As part of the government’s directive, Tohoku decided to adopt the method for its bulk-power systems with 500kV and 270kV, in order to optimize the management of the power generated by renewable resources.

The Subcommittee on the Introduction of Renewable Energy and Next-Generation Power Network[2], developed by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE) under Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and the Wide-Area System Maintenance Committee[3] of the Organization for Cross-Regional Coordination of Transmission Operators, Japan (OCCTO, Headquarters: Tokyo), have studied the non-firm grid connections and have promoted the adoption of this method. Based on their findings, Tohoku has therefore decided to utilize the non-firm grid connection method. Tohoku will make an announcement once the method has been adapted to Tohoku’s systems.[4]

[1] https://nw.tohoku-epco.co.jp/news/normal/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2021/01/13/21011302.pdf

[2] https://www.meti.go.jp/shingikai/enecho/denryoku_gas/saisei_kano/index.html

[3] https://www.occto.or.jp/iinkai/kouikikeitouseibi/

[4] https://nw.tohoku-epco.co.jp/news/normal/1218240_2394.html

[USA] Report: YUMA Energy contract may prevent Puerto Rico from building a safe, reliable and resilient grid

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), a non-profit focused on energy markets and policies, released a report on October 12, 2020 that concluded that the service contract LUMA Energy, a consortium of Houston-based Quanta Services and Calgary-based ATCO, signed to operate Puerto Rico's electricity grid will likely result in electricity prices that fail to meet legislative goals and could keep Puerto Rice from reaching its 100% renewable energy target by 2050.[1][2] In June 2020, LUMA was awarded the Puerto Rico grid contract to manage the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s (PREPA) energy transmission and distribution.

The report found that the LUMA contract will create electricity prices of around $0.30/kWh compared with the island's goal of $0.20/kWh. The IEEFA report cites several other issues with the contract including potential financial problems with the two companies, encouragement of natural gas, lower transparency, sidelining of union collective bargaining agreements, and lower accountability to the public. The report argues that the contract will essentially privatize the functions of PREPA. IEEFA concluded that the contract should be canceled because it will not benefit the island.

[1] https://ieefa.org/ieefa-luma-energy-deal-paves-way-for-puerto-rico-regulators-to-repeat-past-mistakes/

[2] https://ieefa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Contract-with-LUMA-Energy-Sets-up-Full-Privatization_Higher-Rates_October-2020.pdf

[USA] Trump Administration authorizes $9.6B to rebuild Puerto Rico's grid

The Trump Administration announced on September 18, 2020 that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized $9.6 billion to rebuild Puerto Rico's power infrastructure.[1] Puerto Rico’s electric grid was destroyed in 2017 when Hurricane Maria made landfall, bringing a large storm surge, very heavy rains, and wind gusts over 100 mph. The island’s power system remains fragile, but more of the island does have power. In response to the disaster, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 included funding for FEMA to support Hurricane Maria response and recovery. The critical infrastructure projects are funded under FEMA’s Public Assistance Alternative Procedures, pursuant to Section 428 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. Under this funding method, Puerto Rican officials will work directly with FEMA to determine how to best meet the island’s recovery needs. The funding will go to the Puerto Rico Electrical Power Authority (PREPAP) to repair and replace transmission and distribution lines, electrical substations, power generation systems, office buildings, and make other grid improvements. It is unclear when Puerto Rico will have access to the aid. PREPA must first produce a plan showing how the money will be used.

[1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-largest-fema-infrastructure-grants-awarded-puerto-rico/

[Japan] TEPCO Power Grid and Kansai Transmission and Distribution Jointly Launched the Smart Resilience Network

On August 5, 2020, TEPCO Power Grid (Headquarters: Tokyo) and Kansai Transmission and Distribution (Headquarters: Osaka Prefecture) announced that they have jointly launched the Smart Resilience Network, which aims to accelerate the implementation of Distributed Energy Resource (DER) systems to build more a sustainable and resilient energy infrastructure in Japan.

There has been increased pressure in recent years for companies to develop their infrastructure’s resilience to natural disasters, and to reduce their CO2 emissions as a part of their climate change mitigation activities. The Smart Resilience Network will invite partners from industry and academia to participate in data and information exchanges to explore ways to expand the use and applications of DER systems. The Network hopes that DER systems will facilitate the implementation of renewable energy and electrification activities such as the use of EVs in the mobility sector to reduce CO2 emissions. The network will also explore opportunities to use digital technologies, such as IoT and 5G, to integrate DER systems with local infrastructure for improved disaster resiliency and recovery.

TEPCO Power Grid and Kansai Transmission and Distribution see DER systems as potential solutions for accelerating the transition towards a low-carbon society, as well as supporting communities in their efforts to improve their disaster resilience.[1] [2]

[1] https://www.tepco.co.jp/pg/company/press-information/press/2020/1548526_8615.html

[2] https://www.tepco.co.jp/pg/company/press-information/press/2020/pdf/200805j0101.pdf

[USA] Report: U.S. grid needs updates to handle projected EV growth

In a new report released on July 29, 2020, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Washington state found that the U.S. energy grid will be able to handle growth in electric vehicle (EV) charging demand until 2028, but after that, the grid will need costly updates or smarter charging to maintain reliability.[1] The report based its analysis on information from the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), the grid authority west of the Rocky Mountains, because it has commonly agreed-upon data set for a future grid scenario called the WECC 2028. The study is the first to consider medium- and heavy-duty trucks in addition to light-duty trucks. The report’s authors concluded that the current grid could support up to 24 million EVs (including 200,000 medium-duty trucks and 150,000 heavy-duty trucks), which the report predicted the U.S. would reach in 2028. Currently, there are about 1.5 million EVs.

The study looked at two scenarios for how to handle the effect of EVs surpassing this milestone. The first is based on current actions and assumes that most charging sessions will continue to begin at the end of the day, with drivers plugging in and drawing electrons at the same time in the evening. Under this scenario, utilities would need to build new transmission lines and power plants fueled by natural gas to meet demand and keep reliability. The other scenario imagines a system where the battery-filling schedule is coordinated with the needs of the electric grid. This scenario relies on technologies that are in development but have not been tested at scale. Under this scenario, the number of vehicles that the grid can handle more than doubles to 65 million vehicles.

[1] https://www.pnnl.gov/sites/default/files/media/file/EV-AT-SCALE_1_IMPACTS_final.pdf