GRID MODERNIZATION –
DOE ACTIVITIES Jay Caspary, Senior Policy Advisor
U.S. DOE Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability
“We have a power grid that wastes
too much energy.” – President Obama 1/24/12
Outline
Rapid Response Team for Transmission
Interconnection-wide Transmission Planning
Grid Tech Team (GTT) Initiative
Concluding Remarks about Transmission
Rapid Response Team for Transmission
The federal Rapid Response Team for Transmission (RRTT) continues its dual mission:
1) Near Term: to work with 7 pilot projects to capture lessons learned and best practices regarding transmission permitting and siting processes
2) Long Term: to implement institutional changes to transform the way transmission is sited and permitted
The purpose is to improve efficiencies and communication among federal agencies, as well as with state, local, and tribal governments on current and future transmission projects.
RRTT Projects
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RRTT Status Update
The RRTT’s functions now fall under a larger umbrella set up through the President’s Executive Order on Infrastructure Permitting (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/03/22/executive-order-improving-performance-federal-permitting-and-review-infr) and have recently included the following:
Weekly coordination calls with pilot project managers and resource agency field staff
Monthly coordination calls with pilot project applicants
DOE’s work on regulation implementing Section 216(h) of the Federal Power Act which is intended to improve the efficiency of Federal review and permitting for interstate transmission projects.
Transparency of transmission permitting through the ETrans website: http://doe-etrans.us/
Transmission Training for RRTT staff
Consideration of Lean Six Sigma to find efficiencies in internal processes
Implementation of the West Wide Energy Corridor Litigation Settlement Agreement over the next twelve months through a BLM/FS/DOE working group, including gathering stakeholder input to refine, add, and delete corridors to improve their utility for project developers, government agencies, and other participants.
Highlights from Interconnection-wide
Planning Studies – East
Two new organizations established: Industry-based Eastern Interconnection Planning Collaborative (EIPC), and state-based Eastern Interconnection States Planning Council (EISPC)
Key products:
First-ever rollup of 10-year plans prepared by Interconnection’s 26 Planning Authorities
Phase 1 report: 8 20-year macro-economic futures, with 72 sensitivity cases
Phase 2 report (in prep): 3 detailed 20-year transmission build-out scenarios
Eastern “EZ mapper” tool – an electronic energy resource atlas that states and others can use to analyze possible energy zones, transmission routes, pipeline routes, etc
Highlights from Interconnection-wide
Planning Studies – West
Builds on earlier work by Western Electricity Coordinating
Council (WECC) and Western Governors Association (WGA)
Key products:
2011WECC 10-Year Regional Transmission Plan
2013 WECC 10- and 20-Year Regional Transmission Plans (in prep)
Creation of West-wide environmental and water consumption
information for use in transmission planning analyses
Creation of a GIS-based long-term capital expansion planning
tool
Highlights from Interconnection-wide
Planning Studies – ERCOT
Key products:
Improved tools for evaluation of resource and transmission
expansion futures and options
BAU resource expansion future and related sensitivities
More robust stakeholder participation process (under development)
Incorporation of demand-side resources, solar and geothermal
resources, storage technologies, and electric vehicles into ERCOT’s
long-term planning tools and processes (under development)
GTT Vision of the Future Grid
A seamless, cost-effective electricity system, from generation to end-use, capable of meeting all clean energy demands and capacity requirements, while allowing consumer participation and electricity use as desired:
Significant scale-up of clean energy (renewables, natural gas, nuclear, fossil with CCUS)
Allows 100% consumer participation and choice (including distributed generation, demand-side management, electrification of transportation, and energy efficiency)
100% holistically designed (including regional diversity, AC-DC hybrid configurations, and centralized-decentralized control)
Accommodates two-way flows of energy and information
Reliable, secure, and resilient
GTT Modernization Drivers & Strategy
DOE GTT Strategic Levers
Critical DOE Roles
Convener of diverse stakeholders
Aggregator and disseminator of unbiased information
Provider of technical expertise and analytical capabilities
Key Elements of GTT Strategy
RD&D activities are focused on overcoming the technical challenges identified through workshops on grid challenges
Initiatives are focused on overcoming the institutional challenges identified through workshops on grid challenges
Regional engagements are extensions of initiatives that require recognition of regional differences and sensitivities to State and local jurisdictions
Holistic Systems Perspective
Institutional issues and solutions must be considered in conjunction with these technical challenges
Strategic Framework
Visibility to
“see” an event
Understanding
to “know” what
is happening
Flexibility to
“do” something
appropriate in
response
Potential Grid Modernization Goals
Visibility Goals
Deployment of PMU functionality at all substations > 230 kV
Visibility of whole interconnection to appropriate control rooms at PMU rates
Increase deployment of sensors (including AMI) on distribution feeders
Energy use data will be accessible to utilities and customers
Understanding Goals
Harmonized and accessible databases of grid assets for planning and operation
Development of operator and planning tools that utilize improved methodologies
(stochastics, forecasting, parallel processing, etc.)
Development and validation of models for new technologies and systems integration
Development of advanced energy/distribution/outage management systems
Flexibility Goals
Increase deployment of power controllers on the transmission system
Increase deployment of controllers/smart devices on distribution feeders
Expand the use of demand side resources to provide flexibility
Expand the use and capabilities of thermal units to provide flexibility
GTT Near-Term Priorities
Initiatives
Improving Situational Awareness (Visibility)
Planning Database Standardization (Understanding, Visibility)
RD&D Activities
Grid Metrics Development (Understanding)
Electricity Systems Hub (All)
Next Generation Tools and Data for Distribution Systems (All)
Interface Tools for Advanced Grid Modeling (Understanding)
Advanced Power Flow and Protection (Flexibility)
GTT Next Steps and Summary
Next Steps
Proceed with near-term initiatives, associated regional
engagements, and workshops on grid challenges
Summary
Utilizing the convening power of government, the
capabilities and expertise within DOE, and targeted
RD&D investments and initiatives, we will build
collaborations and catalyze the industry to enhance the
visibility, understanding, and flexibility of the electric
power system to achieve the vision of the future grid
Transmission…
represents only a fraction of a consumers total energy bill (5-10%)
enables and defines markets
can no longer be an undervalued asset since it provides tremendous
benefits in reducing congestion costs, lowering capacity margins,
improving the value of diverse/variable resources, enhancing grid
efficiencies and dynamic performance
outages to perform rebuilds can be very costly to consumers, well
beyond E&C costs
is aging infrastructure in existing ROWs that could provide
tremendous value and capability as it is replaced and “rightsized”,
where appropriate
Concluding Remarks
Aging of the bulk power system’s infrastructure is both a threat
and an opportunity.
Proactive steps are required to get the best lines in the best
corridors.
A process is needed that will identify key corridors through sound
analytics based on good data.
DOE is taking steps to facilitate better models and broader
planning consistent with its charter and FERC Order 1000 while
leveraging existing institutions and processes
Standardization should start with industry adopted unique
substation naming conventions for bulk power supply facilities to
facilitate consistency across various applications and tools.
Concluding Remarks (con’t)
To facilitate more effective long range planning, equipment
condition (remaining life) and corridor capabilities for critical
facilities needs to be collected.
Standardization of data is key not only for improved
operations and planning, but also better research, innovation
and more efficient and effective markets.
Development of a solid bulk power industry dataset is a critical
first step toward creation of better performance metrics and
tools needed to design and manage the 21st century electric
system.