ORIGINAL REPORTING: The Keys To Good Pilot Projects And A Re-Imagined Grid

5 new strategies to design more effective utility DER pilots; A new RMI report uses insights from utility pilots and demonstration projects to form a roadmap for the energy transition

Herman K. Trabish, July 20, 2017 (Utility Dive)

Editor’s note: A new paper from RMI identifies good pilot projects as a key stepping stone to the customer-facing utility of the future.

The journey through the energy transition just got a new roadmap. Regulatory disputes across the country continue to stifle innovation and impede the emergence of new utility business models. But a new paper offers best practices from a variety of utility pilot projects to help regulators and stakeholders sort through the noise and make evidence-based decisions. “,” from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), offers recommendations for utilities, regulators, and DER technology providers about how to lead an informed energy transition.

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The skyrocketing growth of utility-scale renewables and distributed energy resources (DER) is stoking a need to develop new grid technologies, business models and customer programs. As a result, utilities face crucial decisions about investing shareholder and ratepayer money. Pilots are being used mainly to test the possibilities, North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center Policy Manager Autumn Proudlove recently told Utility Dive. For the new pilot report, RMI partnered with Consolidated Edison (ConEd), Avista Utilities, and Arizona Public Service (APS). ConEd Director Jamie Brennan told Utility Dive debates about real data from pilots are less ideological, more analytical, and enable more effective stakeholder engagement… click here for more

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