delivery to customers | distribution
CONTEXT
The distribution system—arguably the least dynamic part of the grid—is at the nexus of the most immediate and severe industry disruptors that demand a more flexible system. But because industry practices haven’t caught up, interconnection and energization woes are building to a boiling point. In many ways, the distribution system is under the most pressure to change towards flexible planning and operations, but it is the least equipped to do so. The industry is deadlocked in a strategy of status quo wires investments plans that cannot address the problems of today and only lead us down a path of untenable ratepayer costs and declining quality of service.
LEADING THE CONVERSATION
The Distribution session of the GRIDIRON Dialogues, cohosted by the NREL Foundation, we’ll tackle the thorniest issues at the heart of the utility business model, discuss risks to electricity service and how those risks are (or should be) shared, unpack what elements are becoming problematic and potential investment traps, and explore in what ways distributed resources can provide an opening to sustainable load growth and grid expansion.
By upgrading our energy infrastructure, we maximize the ability to respond to sudden demand shifts. This is not going to be your grandfather's electric grid. It is the rise of the prosumer, those that produces and consumes energy.
Jana Gerber
