A large number of public power utilities have been selected to participate in a peer learning cohort focused on leveraging data for modern utility grid planning.
The National Laboratory of the Rockies in August announced that 27 local participants across the United States were recently selected for two new Energy to Communities (E2C) peer-learning cohorts, managed by NLR on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
E2C peer-learning cohorts launched two separate engagements in July.
The first, “Leveraging Data for Modern Utility Grid Planning,” is a series designed for public utility grid planners and data managers to learn about data sources, storage, and management best practices.
The second engagement, “Navigating Local Data Center Development,” supports local governments, Tribal organizations, and planning commissions to better understand data center characteristics, risks, benefits, and trade-offs that may affect their communities. Most of the participants in this cohort are counties across the U.S.
Once a month from July through December 2026, participants will meet to explore best practices, strategies, and tools to advance participant energy goals related to their cohort’s topic.
“E2C peer-learning cohorts empower local communities by sharing knowledge and tools and creating dedicated spaces to answer questions about topics that directly support the latest U.S. energy needs,” said Jenny Sumner, NLR’s E2C program lead. “With the addition of these two, E2C will have hosted more than 20 total cohorts. We’re excited to keep providing the tools, expertise, and collaborative experiences participants need to bolster their local energy systems.”
The new participants join a group of about 300 local leaders from nearly 280 communities that have participated in E2C’s peer-learning cohorts to access educational resources, review case studies, learn about analysis and modeling tools, apply templates to streamline their work, undergo trainings, and participate in facilitated collaboration on common energy topics.
Leveraging Data for Modern Utility Grid Planning
“As understanding energy demand becomes more complex, strong data practices can help utilities plan for a variety of energy needs and scenarios with more reliability and flexibility,” NLR noted.
The cohort on Leveraging Data for Modern Utility Grid Planning supports utility grid planners and data managers in understanding essential data sources, data storage and management best practices, and the standards and open-source tools that enable systemwide data integration.
In the Leveraging Data for Modern Utility Grid Planning cohort, participants will learn which data categories, types, and sources are needed throughout different phases of grid planning and where to find that data; identify opportunities for improving data management and utilization with new data practices, software, or tools and understand common barriers to their implementation; explore opportunities to leverage AI for data quality, formatting, and processing; and discuss the external factors that impact their data use and management, such as regulatory requirements and cybersecurity.
After participating in this workshop series, cohort participants will come away with strategies and next steps to help them implement their proposed data improvements within their organization.
Public power utility participants in this cohort are:
• City of Georgetown, Texas – Electric Utility
• City of Fort Collins, Colorado
• City of Tallahassee Electric and Gas Utility
• Cleveland Public Power
• Colorado Springs Utilities
• Edmond Electric
• Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant
• Jamestown Board of Public Utilities
• Kennebunk Light and Power District
• Town of Enfield Electric Utility
Participants in the Navigating Local Data Center Development cohort:
• Adams County, Colorado
• Capital Area Regional Planning Commission, Dane County, Wisconsin
• City of Chicago, Illinois
• City of Kansas City, Missouri
• Colorado River Indian Tribes
• Fairfax County, Virginia
• Ford County, Kansas
• Johnson County, Texas
• Loudon County, Virginia
• Miami-Dade County, Florida
• Missoula County, Montana
• Muscogee (Creek) Nation
• Prince William County, Virginia
• Village of Waverly, Ohio
• Warm Springs Economic Development Corp.
