The Benefits of Electric Transmission: Identifying and Analyzing the Value of Investments
Prepared for WIRES
WIRES, also known as the Working Group for Investment in Reliable and Economic Electric Systems, engaged The Brattle Group to assemble available experience with identifying and analyzing the wide range of potential benefits offered by transmission investments. WIRES has asked Brattle to focus on how various benefits can be identified and estimated, and to discuss the experiences of regional transmission organizations (RTOs) and non-RTO regions in analyzing the economic, reliability, public policy, and other benefits that new or upgraded transmission can provide.
Because the recognition and understanding of many of the transmission-related benefits by system planners and regulators has been evolving, there is currently no standard menu of benefit metrics that can be applied in the evaluation of transmission investments. The lack of standard benefit metrics is a critical gap in advancing the planning of an improved power grid. This report attempts to fill that gap.
