NARUC Summer Policy Summit Breakfast Discussion: The Role of DERs in High-Growth, High-Cost Future

Host: The Brattle Group
Date: Tuesday, July 21
Time: 8:00–10:00 a.m.
Location: Minneapolis, MN

Attendees of the NARUC Summer Policy Summit are invited to join The Brattle Group for an interactive breakfast discussion on the growing role of distributed energy resources (DERs) in the modern electric sector.

Brattle experts will kick off the session with insights from recent engagements and lead attendees in an interactive discussion on the increased demand for affordability, reliability, and speed-to-power, while highlighting DERs’ capabilities to optimize grid investments, improve customer outcomes, and support system planning.

Connect with regulators, utility leaders, and industry stakeholders over breakfast to discuss the practical applications, policy considerations, and emerging frameworks for integrating DERs into the modern grid.

Interested in attending? Please RSVP to events@brattle.com.

Planned Agenda

8:00–8:15 a.m.

Arrival and Breakfast

8:15–8:30 a.m.

Welcome Remarks from Peter Fox-Penner

8:30–8:45 a.m.

Topic 1: A New Framework for DER Value in the Speed to Power Era

Presented by Sanem Sergici

Historically, DERs have been valued for their ability to defer generation, transmission, or system upgrades, an approach we call the deferral paradigm. In the current era, DERs may also be useful for accelerating the ability to connect new loads, which we call the speed-to-power paradigm. We examine similarities and differences between these two approaches to valuing DERs and explain why they should not be treated as mutually exclusive, even for the same set of DERs at the same time, and certainly over time. We will share insights from our latest whitepaper, A New Framework for DER Value in the Speed to Power Era.

8:45–9:00 a.m.

Topic 2: Affordability: Benefits of Improved Grid Utilization

Presented by Ryan Hledik

Load growth creates an opportunity to improve affordability by spreading the cost of the existing electric grid across a larger customer base. Recognizing this potential, states are beginning to adopt policies that require utilities to measure grid utilization and incorporate those metrics into planning initiatives. While the concept is straightforward, realizing its benefits requires careful attention to implementation details. Drawing on a recent Brattle study, The Untapped Grid: How a Better Utilized Power System Can Improve Energy Affordability, conducted for the Utilize Coalition and GridLab, this presentation will explore practical approaches for leveraging DERs as a tool to improve grid utilization and produce beneficial outcomes for customers.

9:00–9:15 a.m.

Topic 3: Unlocking Grid Flexibility: How DERs Can Power Smarter Distribution Planning

Presented by Akhilesh Ramakrishnan

As utilities work to address load growth while maintaining affordability and reliability, the core question for regulators is no longer whether investments are needed, but how to determine if investments should be in traditional infrastructure upgrades, proactive grid buildout, or non-wires solutions that maximize utilization of existing grid infrastructure. In this session, we will discuss how the distribution system planning process can be enhanced with new analytical approaches and value-based frameworks for evaluating where grid buildout is needed and where DERs could serve as non-wires solutions, drawing on recent work in Massachusetts, Washington, and California.