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The Future of Electric Power in the U.S.

Completed

Regional focus

North America

Topics

Electricity is fundamental to nearly all aspects of our lives and economy. New technologies, planning and operating techniques, grid architectures, and business practices will shape the electricity system and our lives for decades to come. This presents opportunities to improve reliability, resiliency, flexibility, and environmental impacts, while also creating challenges to maintaining cyber security and affordability. Over the next 2 years, the Committee on the Future of Electric Power in the US will undertake a comprehensive evaluation of our changing electric system and develop findings and recommendations to inform research, development, and demonstration investments.

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Description

In its 2018 appropriations for the Department of Energy, the U.S. Congress directed the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to appoint an ad hoc committee of experts to “. . . conduct an evaluation of the expected medium- and long-term evolution of the grid. This evaluation shall focus on developments that include the emergence of new technologies, planning and operating techniques, grid architecture, and business models.”

In developing its report, the committee will consider: 1) trends in generation resources, their operational characteristics, and what capabilities will be required in energy infrastructure to provide reliable and resilient service; 2) trends in end use, including technologies for intelligent load control, and their implications for grid modernization investments, and 3) interdependencies with other infrastructure systems such as natural gas, telecommunications, and transportation systems. The committee will be informed by a broad suite of alternative scenarios for the medium- and long-term evolution of the grid, and will identify potential “no-regret” strategic federal investments and approaches that will help create a platform for a reliable, resilient, and secure power system, including cyber security. In its discussions, the committee will consider the evolution of external forces that influence grid investment, planning, and operations.
The committee will gather evidence, deliberate, and provide findings and recommendations across the following broad categories.

  • Technologies - - Identify opportunities to improve existing technologies or develop and apply emerging technologies in generation, storage, power electronics, sensing and measurement devices, control systems, cyber security, and loads.
  • Planning and Operations - - Investigate how current planning and operational practices may need to evolve in the future given the breadth of potential scenarios for changes in generation, grid technologies, and end use.
  • Business Models - - Consider broadly the cost and benefits of modernizing the power system relative to current business and operating procedures and explore how oversight and market operations may need to change with new technologies and customer arrangements.
  • Grid architectures - - Evaluate both technical and jurisdictional challenges to implement a broadly applicable approach to grid architectures.

Contributors

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Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Terry Boston has a conflict of interest in relation to his service on the Committee on Modernizing the U.S. Electricity System, because he provides consulting services on electric grid security and incorporation of generation and storage technologies for companies in the electric power sector. The National Academies has concluded that in order for the committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established, it must include a committee member with current expertise in electric power transmission operations, wholesale market design and execution, and large-scale generation and storage technologies. As his biographical summary makes clear, Mr. Boston has extensive current experience in regional transmission organization operations and in generation and storage technology assessment. The National Academies has determined that the experience and expertise of Mr. Boston is needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it has been established. The National Academies could not find another available individual with the equivalent expertise and breadth of experience who does not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies has concluded that the conflict is unavoidable. The National Academies believes that Mr. Boston can serve effectively as a member of the committee, and the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the study.

Deepakraj Divan has a conflict of interest in relation to his service on the Committee on Modernizing the U.S. Electricity System, because he has founded multiple start-up companies involved in electric distribution technologies, including being the Founder and Chief Scientist of Varentec Inc, and holds numerous patents that are in commercial use. The National Academies has concluded that in order for the committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established, it must include a committee member with current experience developing and commercializing power electronics and advanced distribution technologies. As his biographical summary makes clear, Dr. Divan has extensive current experience developing and commercializing novel power electronics for the electric distribution system. The National Academies has determined that the experience and expertise of Dr. Divan is needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it has been established. The National Academies could not find another available individual with the equivalent experience and expertise who does not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies has concluded that the conflict is unavoidable.The National Academies believes that Dr. Deepakraj Divan can serve effectively as a member of the committee, and the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the study.

Susan Tierney has a conflict of interest in relation to her service on the Committee on Modernizing the U.S. Electricity System, because she is currently employed by a consulting company (Analysis Group) that provides planning, market, and regulatory analyses for a broad range of clients (including grid operators, utility and other energy companies, governments, non-governmental organizations, and energy consumers) in the electric power sector. The National Academies has concluded that in order for the committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established, it must include a committee member with current expertise in wholesale electric power markets, federal and state regulations, and utility planning processes. As her biographical summary makes clear, Dr. Tierney has extensive current experience providing technical and market analysis for electricity system operations. The National Academies has determined that the experience and expertise of Dr. Tierney is needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it has been established. The National Academies could not find another available individual with the equivalent expertise and breadth of experience who does not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies has concluded that the conflict is unavoidable. The National Academies believes that Dr. Tierney can serve effectively as a member of the committee, and the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the study.

Committee Membership Roster Comments

Nancy Lange has been removed from the committee. Karen Butler-Purry has been removed from the committee.

Sponsors

Department of Energy

Staff

John Holmes

Lead

Brent Heard

Lead

Elizabeth Zeitler

Lead

Rebecca DeBoer

Brent Heard

Kasia Kornecki

Michaela Kerxhalli-Kleinfield

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