Planning for the 21st Century Grid

August 19, 2014 By Carl Zichella

It seems everyone involved with renewable energy and climate change is asking the same question these days.  What will the 21st century grid look like?  This is one of the key questions the Department of Energy is asking as part of the first “Quadrennial Energy Review (QER)” seeking to understand how much modernizing the nation’s energy infrastructure will need in the coming years.

Prognosticating the future with or without computer models is a sketchy business.  But some things are becoming clear with regard to our future needs.  According to panelists at the July 11th DOE meeting I participated in in Portland, Oregon (including such industry leaders as Jim Robb, CEO of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council; Elliot Mainzer, Administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration;  Steve Berberich, CEO of the California Independent System Operator; Patrick Reiten, President and CEO, Pacific Power; and the ever-droll and insightful John Savage of the Oregon Public Utilities Commission among others), the grid of the future – and the future is now – will be nimble, flexible, and much more coordinated.  All of that is good news for renewable energy integration, climate mitigation and system reliability.

http://www.energymanagertoday.com/planning-21st-century-grid-0104168/