The GridWise Alliance has released a report entitled "The Future of the Grid: Evolving to Meet America's Needs" that frames the ways in which the electric grid must evolve to meet the nation's economic, national security, and lifestyle demands. To facilitate the development of this report, the GridWise Alliance, in partnership with the Department of Energy's Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (DOE-OE), conducted a series of Regional Workshops and a National Summit, during which over 400 industry stakeholders shared their vision for the "Grid of the Future," and the challenges that must be overcome to achieve this vision. These efforts included using a holistic approach to examining changes that will be needed to the utility business and regulatory models, as well as changes in consumer engagement. The report includes key recommendations to advance efforts by industry and other stakeholders toward achieving that vision as well as ways in which to navigate the transition over the next several years.
"The Future of the Grid workshops revealed broad consensus among industry stakeholders on the future role of the grid. They recognize that it will be the enabling platform to enhance reliability and support of a dynamic and complex system that enables consumer choice," said Scott Prochazka, President and CEO of CenterPoint Energy and Vice Chair of the GridWise Alliance. "Traditional business and regulatory models will have to evolve to meet this new reality."
"The GridWise Alliance and our members are committed to doing our part to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations and look forward to continuing to partner with the Department of Energy to make this happen," said Robert Shapard, Chairman and CEO, Oncor and Chairman of the GridWise Alliance.
Building on the findings of this report, the GridWise Alliance will develop a series of prescriptive reports focused on the practical steps, best practices, policy changes and metrics to drive the progress in grid modernization. These reports will cover key areas requiring transformation in a continued comprehensive manner, including the Future Role of the Grid, the Utility Business Model of the Future, the Regulatory Model of the Future, and the Path Forward: Transition to the Future.
"We have come a long way as a result of the input we received from the participants in our Regional Workshops and National Summit. We have developed a holistic approach to examine the need for changes in utility business and regulatory models, consumer engagement, and to fully embracing the innovation happening on the edges of the grid. Now we must leverage this holistic approach to further define the path forward," said Becky Harrison, GridWise Alliance CEO.
