A new report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory aims to support energy industry stakeholders to improve electric utility planning processes by identifying a range of tactical approaches to consider distribution system planning elements in integrated resource planning to meet electricity needs at least cost.
“States and utilities across the country, with varying regulatory and market frameworks, are taking meaningful steps to integrate distribution system elements in IRP, aiming to optimize grid investments, reduce utility costs and customer bills, and improve plan transparency and credibility,” the report, “Effectively Considering the Distribution System in Integrated Resource Plans,” said.
IRPs also can serve as a vehicle for elevating the most impactful elements of distribution planning for stakeholder review and input, particularly in jurisdictions without DSP filing requirements that make that information publicly available, LBNL noted.
While IRPs and DSP address different levels of the electricity system and use different planning techniques, there are key linkages between the two types of plans:
- Using consistent forecasts, including for loads, grid-edge resources (GERs) and other variables to plan for a unified vision of the future;
- Assessing whether distribution system resources can help serve bulk power system needs at lower cost and, at the same time, considering local grid benefits;
- Analyzing the capability of the distribution system to accommodate GERs identified as least-cost resources in IRP.
Implementing these practices requires more sophisticated analyses, communication between utility planners, state utility regulators, and stakeholders and the utility's commitment to change management to support staff implementing new planning techniques, the report said.
The report includes case studies including one that focuses on Arizona public power utility Salt River Project.
