ScottMadden, Inc., one of North America’s leading energy consulting firms, recently served as a sponsor and presenter at Infocast’s 20th Annual Transmission Summit. The program featured two distinct events: The Transmission Executive Forum addressed impacts of the shift to distributed resources on transmission planning and operations, and the Transmission Summit discussed challenges and opportunities facing the electric transmission industry.
During the Transmission Executive Forum, Cristin Lyons, partner and grid transformation practice leader at ScottMadden, moderated a session on modeling and planning issues with distributed energy resources (DERs). Panelists from NYISO, NERC, and PSE&G shared how DERs are shaping transmission planning. In particular, they discussed how different regions are addressing the proliferation of DERs and their impacts to the grid.
“As we integrate more and more DERs, the line between transmission and distribution is beginning to blur. Transmission owners and operators need to be able to see, model, and plan the system with these resources,” said Ms. Lyons.
During the Transmission Summit, Stephen Haubrich, director at ScottMadden, facilitated a session focused on energy policy under the new administration. Panelists from Southern Company, NextEra Energy, and AEP reviewed how the election results might affect the energy industry as a whole and the implications for transmission.
“With a new administration in the White House and key cabinet positions only recently filled, there is a lot of uncertainty regarding energy policy. FERC remains without a quorum, significant infrastructure proposals are being made, and we may see reduced regulation. Some of these proposals may positively impact transmission, but it is still too early to tell,” said Mr. Haubrich.
Also during the Transmission Summit, Luke Martin, director at ScottMadden, moderated a session focused on the state of Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs). Panelists from NYISO, PJM Interconnection, and MISO examined the unique issues facing each RTO and Independent System Operator (ISO) and how they are coordinating interregional planning and projects.
“RTOs and ISOs are continuing to adjust their transmission planning and operations to account for the shift in generation mix due to increased levels of DERs. They are learning to live in a world of declining load growth and are looking at ways to balance needs for transparency in the competitive process with resiliency and other concerns,” noted Mr. Martin.
About ScottMadden’s Grid Transformation Practice
For more than 30 years, ScottMadden has helped our clients transform the way they operate, plan, and maintain the grid and interact with their customers. The Grid Transformation practice focuses on helping clients adapt to the myriad changes driven by the increasing penetration of distributed energy resources, such as distributed generation, storage, demand response, and microgrids. We help our clients choose the path that meets their reliability, customer, and regulatory goals, and then we help them implement it.
About ScottMadden, Inc.
ScottMadden is the management consulting firm that does what it takes to get it done right. Our practice areas include Energy, Clean Tech & Sustainability, Corporate & Shared Services, and Grid Transformation. We deliver a broad array of consulting services ranging from strategic planning through implementation across many industries, business units, and functions. To learn more, visit www.scottmadden.com | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn
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Media contact:
Mary Tew
919-714-7628