FERC grid modernization session

U.S. federal energy regulators convene tomorrow to discuss modernization of the nation’s electric power grid.

Recent years have brought significant changes in technology and the ways we use energy.  From distributed energy resources like solar panels to a variety of "smart grid" applications, society has new tools that may be able to improve the nation's energy sector.  As a result, state and federal energy regulators are considering "grid modernization."  Issues in play can include whether improvements to the nation’s electric power grid are appropriate, and if so, how to fund them.

For several years, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has considered grid modernization issues.  Now, the Commission has scheduled a grid modernization event for tomorrow.

At the Commission's April meeting, it will hear from representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy, including Patricia A. Hoffman, assistant secretary for the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, and Roland Risser, acting deputy assistant secretary for Renewable Power.  The Energy Department will also offer panelists from its National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. 

Following the FERC meeting, the panelists will be available for a post-meeting information session on the work of the Grid Modernization Laboratory Consortium.  Panelists are expected to discuss devices and integrated systems, sensing and measurement, system operations, control and power flow, design and planning tools, security and resilience, and institutional support.