CUB Policy Conference Preview: How Do We Make The Grid More Flexible?

The 2017 CUB Policy Conference, Utility Regulation 2.0, is three short weeks away! In preparing for our seventh annual energy policy conference, taking place on Friday October 13 at the Downtown Portland Hilton, we are featuring previews on the CUB blog of each of our six breakout panels. Today’s topic is Energy Yoga: How Do We Make The Grid More Flexible?

If one was to look at the tea leaves of the electric industry, one could foresee that industry is approaching a period of change. The cost of solar energy has been decreasing steadily over the past decade. Energy storage technology innovations have made home battery storage more economical. In Oregon, electric vehicle sales are twice the national average.

Are regulated electric utilities able to handle these changes? For example, electric vehicle adaptation is projected to increase steadily over the next twenty years. The widespread adaptation of electric vehicles could overwhelm the electricity distribution system. Electric vehicle charging times peak after the evening commute. This huge evening peak could force utilities to purchase expensive energy on the spot market. Additionally, transformers in residential neighborhoods could fail due to increased electric vehicle load. This future electric vehicles load spike can be mitigated using managed charging and time of use rates.

Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar are intermittent resources that do not generate electrically consistently. In the long term, energy storage can allow for renewable energy to be stored in batteries. In the short term, energy storage can store excess energy and use renewable energy when the resource is not producing power.

A smart grid can enable utilities to direct back-feed and energy storage. Are electric utilities prepared for managing distributed generation? Currently, investor owned utilities operate under the traditional utility model. While some pilot projects have been tested in Oregon, regulated electric utilities have not installed flexible smart grid systems. Are their regulatory barriers preventing investor owned utilities from embracing technological innovation? Where do customers fit in this discussion? Should these types of investments be installed by customers, or utilities?

Speaking to these issues and more at the upcoming conference, we are pleased to welcome Jason Eisdorfer, Utility Program Director, Oregon Public Utility Commission; Andrew Mills, Research Scientist, Electricity Markets & Policy Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Rachel Shimshak, Executive Director, Renewable Northwest; Jessica Shipley, Associate, Regulatory Assistance Project; and Bryce Yonker, Executive Director, Smart Grid Northwest. Learn more about our speakers by clicking on their names above.

In addition to being three weeks out from the conference, we are now exactly one week away from our Early Bird Registration Deadline! Register on or before Friday September 29 to take advantage of lowered ticket prices! We are pleased to announce a couple of program details that should entice you to register today:

First, we are pleased to welcome back Oregon Public Utility Commission Chair Lisa Hardie as our closing keynote speaker. Chair Hardie will wrap up her remarks by 4:30pm, after which we’ll have a closing reception with local wine and beer, and food provided by the Hilton. CUB has also confirmed the title of Bob Jenks’ opening remarks beginning at 8:00am: Do We Need Modernized Rules To Modernize The Grid? Watch the conference website for more agenda updates in the coming days.

This conference has been awarded 5.0 Continuing Legal Education Credits by the Oregon State Bar. Attorneys seeking CLE credits must sign in on site for both the AM and PM sessions. Accreditation from the Washington State Bar is pending.

Supplemental reading materials have been added to the conference website as well, so check them out and get to reading! Again, watch for updates as we continue to update this list. Remember to register today, and we’ll see you at the Hilton on October 13!

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