Energy Freedom Coalition Eversource Energy Liberty Utilities New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services New Hampshire Assistance New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning New Hampshire Office of the Consumer Advocate New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission Staff (ex officio) New Hampshire Sustainable Energy Association/ Northeast Clean Energy Council Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships Patricia Martin, Retired Engineer Retail Energy Supply Association Revolution Energy The Jordan Institute Unitil Energy Systems Inc. The Working Group held its first all day Working Group meeting on April 29, 2016 and met for eight day-long meetings over a ten-month period with the final meeting on February 3, 2017. In addition to the face-to-face full day Working Group meetings, the Working Group established a couple of Task Forces to work through issues and develop recommendations for the full Working Group’s consideration (i.e., Customer and Utility Data Task Force and the Task Force on Integrating Existing Statutes with Grid Mod). There were also homework assignments between Working Group meetings for all the Members, which were usually completed in groups of Members, as well as specific requests for certain members to draft different proposals on issues for the full Working Group’s consideration. Overall, consensus was reached (defined as unanimous support by all 14 members of the Working on most of the recommendations and work products in this Report. In those instances where one or more Working Group member did not agree, the report provides alternative options and identifies the supporters of each option. There may be areas of relevant concern that lie outside this report due to 1) other ongoing proceedings, such as the net metering docket (DE 16-576) and the Energy Efficiency Resource Standard implementation process, and 2) limitations in the scope of the Working Group Report. Overview of report This Report includes five additional chapters. Chapter 3 explicates the Working conceptualization of the outcomes and capabilities and the enablers related to grid modernization practices. In Chapter 4, the Working Group covers numerous recommendations related to distribution system planning. Chapter 5 covers recommendations in several areas related to improving customer engagement around distributed energy resource issues including rate design, advanced metering functionality, customer and utility data, and customer education. In the Chapter 6, the Working Group lays out its recommendations on utility cost recovery and financial incentives. In the last Chapter (7), the Working Group identifies a series of
Outcomes and Capabilities In the Scoping initiating this Working Group process, the Commission specifically asked the Working Group to review and revise as it saw fit the “Grid Modernization Outcomes, Capabilities, and Enablers” matrix that was submitted in Massachusetts by the stakeholder working group there several years ago. After careful consideration, this Working Group made numerous changes to the overall categorization as well as the specific outcomes, capabilities, and enablers. The Working Group members all agreed to these changes, and support the matrix as delineated in Table 3-1. Grid Modernization Outcomes, Capabilities, and Enablers Outcomes Capabilities/Activities* Enablers Customer Engagement and Empowerment Energy Efficiency (end-use) Education and Technical Assistance Smart Appliances Energy Management Systems Home Area Network Capability Customer Communication System (e.g., web portals) Information: Access, Transparency, Control, Privacy Rate Design, including rates reflecting locational value of DER Metering System (AMR/AMI) Other Innovative Technologies Third-Party, Competitive Aggregators and Suppliers Demand Response Distributed Generation Storage Electric Vehicles Electric Heat Pumps Optimize Demand (Through Utility Initiatives) Volt/VAR Control, Conservation Voltage Reduction Metering System ( AMR/AMI) Data Management System Billing System Customer Information Management System Real-Time Communication System SCADA Distribution Automation Distribution Management Systems Rate Design Load Control Utility-Owned Energy Storage Geo-Targeting of Distributed Energy Resources Advanced Load Forecasting Integrate Distributed Generation, Storage and Voltage Regulation Load Leveling and Shifting
Electric Vehicles (Through Utility Initiatives) SCADA Distribution Automation Distribution Management Systems 3V0, voltage control, reverse power, direct transfer trips, frequency control Geospatial Information System System and circuit planning models Rate Design System Protection Energy Storage and EV Charging Infrastructure Remote Connect/Disconnect Reliability: Reduce Impact of Outages Fault Detection, Isolation and Restoration Metering System (AMR/AMI) Real-Time Communication System SCADA Distribution Automation Distribution Management Systems System and circuit planning models Outage Management System Geospatial Information System System Sensors Voltage and Frequency Control, Protection Mobile damage assessment Automated Feeder Reconfiguration Intentional Islanding Situational Awareness Damage Assessment Distributed Energy Resources (i.e. microgrids, demand response, storage and back-up generation resources) Reliability: Prevent Outages System Hardening SCADA Distribution Automation Distribution Management Systems Reliability database Asset management system Geospatial Information System Outage Management System Predictive Modeling Software Infrastructure Replacement Pre-Detection of Potential Outages Vegetation Management Workforce and Asset Management Mobile Workforce Management Real-Time Communication System Distribution Management System Outage Management System Geospatial Information System Mobile Data Systems Mobile Geospatial Information System Remote Monitoring and Diagnostics
framework that includes both a quantitative evaluation and qualitative evaluation of each program or type of investment. The quantitative evaluation would include monetized values. The qualitative evaluation might include other factors that cannot readily be monetized, such as customer equity, environmental impacts, degree that in enables customer and 3rd party engagement, interactive effects of DERs, short-term versus long-term impacts, and other strategic and policy factors including impact on metrics and achieving the Grid Mod goals. A business case is a written document that captures the reasoning for initiating a project. A compelling business case adequately captures both the quantifiable and unquantifiable characteristics of a proposed project or investment. Information that may be included in a business case includes a detailed description of the project including scope and schedule, the rationale and business drivers for the investment, the expected costs, the expected benefits, any assumptions underpinning the evaluation of expected benefits, options considered, and expected risks, including sensitivities. From this information, the justification for the project is derived. Throughout this report the term “cost-effective” is used to to a business case framework, which includes both a quantitative and a qualitative evaluation. The parameters of a business case framework and how they will be evaluated remain to be fully developed. This must occur before utilities file their first grid modernization plans. How, if at all, should the cost-effectiveness framework account for the location and time issues? To the extent that time and/or location based information is available it should be included in cost-effectiveness analysis. How will the key assumptions used for evaluating Grid Mod investments be developed? to the development of the first grid modernization plans, there would be an effort to coordinate common major assumptions among the utilities. Such assumptions could include, for example, the appropriate discount rate, the appropriate inflation rate, and electricity market price forecasts. How long should the Commission give the utilities to file the initial Grid Modernization The initial Grid Modernization plan will take approximately 9-12 months, with the issuance of a final directive by the commission. This length of time is required to support the proposed Stakeholder Engagement process identified in this report and could vary with changes in the proposed stakeholder process. The Commission should require that the Grid mod filings be submitted in a staggered fashion.
Appendix A: Lead Representatives and Alternates Organization Representative Alternate Second Alternate Acadia Center Ellen Hawes City of Lebanon, New Hampshire Clifton Below Conservation Law Foundation-New Hampshire Melissa Birchard Tom Irwin Energy Freedom Coalition of America Todd Griset Peter Brown Eversource Energy Eric Chung Matthew Fossum Liberty Utilities Heather Tebbetts Chris Brouillard Michael Sheehan New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Chris Skoglund Joseph Fontaine Rebecca Ohler New Hampshire Legal Assistance Dennis Stephen Tower New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning Rick Minard Holmes Deandra Perruccio New Hampshire Office of Consumer Advocate Donald Kreis James Brennan New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission Staff (ex officio) Tom Frantz Les Stachow Jim Cunnningham NH Sustainable Energy Assn./Northeast Clean Energy Council/ Kate Epsen Janet Gail Besser Brianna Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships Natalie Brian Buckley Patricia Martin, Retired Engineer Patricia Martin RESA (Direct Energy/Exelon) Marc Hanks Dan Allegretti Revolution Energy Clay Mitchell Henry Herndon The Jordan Institute Laura Richardson Unitil Energy Systems Inc. Justin Eisfeller Kevin Sprague Gary Epler