Webinar: Distribution Resources Planning: Laying the foundation for a modern grid

The Clean Coalition held a webinar on Distribution Resources Planning on January 23, 2018. Outreach DirectorJohn Bernhardt presented.

Click here to watch this video on YouTube.

The U.S. electric grid is in the midst of transformational change. Originally designed to transport power from remote power plants to end-use customers, our centralized grid is being challenged by new technologies. Rapidly dropping costs and technological advancements have made distributed energy resources (DER) – such as local renewables, energy storage, demand response, and energy efficiency – increasingly cost-effective solutions to meet electric system needs. Yet, few states are actively planning their distribution grids to capitalize on the growing value DER provide.

Distribution Resources Planning (DRP) establishes a comprehensive and transparent framework designed to improve distribution system planning, operations, and investment. It seeks to optimize utilization of existing electricity grid assets and new DER resources to modernize the grid while minimizing costs for ratepayers. This webinar aimed to inform policymakers, utilities, advocacy groups, clean energy businesses, and other key stakeholders about Distribution Resources Planning. Specifically, the webinar:

• Provided an overview of Distribution Resources Planning
• Described the benefits of Distribution Resources Planning
• Detailed leading Distribution Resources Planning efforts underway in the U.S.
• Discussed pathways to initiate Distribution Resources Planning in your state

Slides can be viewed or downloadedhere.