Valuing the energy resilience contributions of distributed energy

Reading some of Utility Dive's recent headlines is enough to make you nervous about the state of America's electricity supply. The Russians are hacking into our grid, the weather is bad and getting worse and wildfires have left two of California's three "dominant investor-owned utilities… in dire financial straits." The current threat environment requires new approaches to power system resilience — but there are valid concerns about the costs to harden the grid. At the same time, surging advanced energy markets are creating new technology options for energy resilience — even as they are re-shaping and disrupting the energy industry. Against this dynamic and unsettling backdrop, state regulators are being asked to decide what energy resilience is, and to guide the investments that might make it happen. The most recent advice from the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) is a new report with Converge Strategies on how to calculate the value for resilience for regulatory proceedings — focusing on the value created by solar photovoltaics, energy storage and microgrids.