What You Need to Know
Jeff Loiter is a Technical Director in the Center for Partnerships & Innovation at NARUC where he oversees CPI’s energy distribution research portfolio, including smart grid and grid modernization, distributed energy resources integration and interconnection, virtual power plants, and related issues in ratemaking and utility business models.
Taylor Fitzgerald is a Communications Coordinator for the NARUC Center for Partnerships & Innovation where she develops and executes outreach strategies to enhance the visibility of essential resources, trainings, and other activities that assist state commissions contending with complex current and emerging issues.
The reliability, resilience, safety, and efficiency of utility services have long been priorities for both regulators and customers. The electric distribution system is evolving as a result of new technologies and the transition of our energy systems to a more sustainable model, making it more challenging to achieve these standards. One approach to managing these two trends is Integrated Distribution System Planning (IDSP).
IDSP is a systematic approach to reach state and utility objectives for grid planning and design while also meeting customer needs. It not only supports a safe and reliable grid but also the integration and use of distributed energy resources (DERs) and provides a grid modernization roadmap.
Enhanced planning processes for the grid offer numerous benefits to stakeholders, including state agencies, customers, and utilities. These improvements can foster more transparent and comprehensive plans for distribution system investments and other expenditures and increase opportunities for positive stakeholder engagement.
Instituting a robust IDSP process is also a critical step in advancing more comprehensive planning processes that include a holistic assessment of resource requirements and grid modernization strategies across multiple jurisdictions (such as communities, states, and regions) and parts of the electric system (such as distribution, transmission, and interregional transmission.)