Proposals to accelerate advanced transmission technologies in US

Five categories of reforms to drive the adoption of advanced transmission technologies in the US are presented in a new MIT research paper.

Advanced transmission technologies – those that can increase the physical line capacity – are increasingly recognised as being able to be implemented quickly and cost-effectively, but they remain widely under-adopted in the US, according to the paper.

The primary obstacles are the failure of electricity markets to incentivise transmission providers and current regulatory practices that limit adoption, while also the chicken-and-egg of transmission or generation first – similar to other transmission developments – may arise, the paper reports.

Overcoming these barriers to adoption requires modernising the practices of and incentives facing transmission providers, it continues, pointing out that some states are taking action. However, these are not sufficient to drive more rapid widespread adoption of the technologies, hence the reforms that are proposed.

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Such technologies include dynamic line ratings, advanced power flow control devices, topology optimisation and high performance conductors, with dynamic line ratings and advanced power flow controllers and transmission switching also now in the sub-category of ‘grid enhancing technologies’.

Recommendation one is to require transmission providers to adopt advanced transmission technologies in certain contexts, such as in the deployment of dynamic line ratings on congested lines.

Recommendation two is to require transmission providers and regulators to conduct robust analyses of the value of advanced transmission technologies for their electric grid as adoption requires benefits for grid capacity that exceed their costs.

Recommendation three is to create financial incentives for transmission providers to adopt advanced transmission technologies where they can provide high net benefits, with targeted policy actions able to help increase the incentives to offset the obstacles.

Recommendation four is to build digital tools that inform advanced transmission technology adoption as in many cases transmission providers, regulators and others lack detailed planning and other information and even when available it is often siloed.

Recommendation five is to shift the responsibility of planning advanced transmission technologies to a third party as a means to address the obstacles to adoption.

With these recommendations the rapid buildout of transmission and the connection of new clean energy generation sources to the grid would be enabled – lowering electricity prices, reducing US emissions and facilitating continued innovation in energy-intensive industries, the paper concludes.

Dynamic line ratings rulemaking

The report comes as a preliminary step for a rulemaking by FERC on dynamic line ratings is under way.

The ‘advance notice of proposed rulemaking’ (ANOPR) is aimed to gather input on dynamic line ratings, including whether and how solar conditions should be included in line ratings, how wind conditions could be used to identify transmission lines that would benefit most from the technology and how weather forecasting and sensors may impact them.

FERC’s stated goal is to reduce congestion costs, facilitate new resource interconnection and improve reliability through the broader deployment of dynamic line ratings.

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