T&D Grid

“APS’s VPP journey reflects a broader industry shift. VPPs are no longer just an idea. They are an essential component of the modern grid.”

“The Iberian Peninsula blackout is a case study the U.S. cannot ignore. Electricity markets with high IBR penetration and limited external interconnections, such as ERCOT and CAISO, are similar to the Iberian grid. The centralized regulatory and operating environment in the Southeast faces similar risks.”

“There is no doubt that the investments we make today enable the reliability and resilience that Americans depend upon day in and day out.”

“EPRI’s DCFlex initiative launched the Flex MOSAIC™ classification system. The framework provides a technology neutral, uniform structure for describing and evaluating large load flexibility. At its core, the framework establishes a shared language.”

SEPA is tracking this evolution through our Database of Emerging Large Load Tariffs (DELTa), developed with the NC Clean Energy Technology Center. Today, DELTa includes more than 77 tariffs across 36 states – nearly all developed in just the past two years.

“In Vermont, a state-commission-established working group was tasked with estimating resources that could be flexibly managed. That work found that nearly 20% of residential demand and 20% of commercial and industrial demand could be flexibly managed.”

Responding to robust industry interest in VPPs and their potential benefits, the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) and N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) are collaborating to help states, utilities, and other stakeholders understand the ever-evolving policy and industry landscape.

“New substations, transmission lines, and distribution infrastructure represent enormous capital commitments. If assets are sited without rigorous flood risk assessment, utilities are not just exposing existing infrastructure to harm; they are locking in new exposure for decades.”

“There is now a dynamic where vastly different and sometimes competing goals are in the same room. Our role is to align those disparate objectives into an executable strategy.”

“Much of the existing transmission system was designed for gradual, predictable growth, yet today’s load is concentrated, time-sensitive, and increasingly tied to firm delivery commitments.”