US DOE releases new transmission interconnection roadmap

In an effort to address the growing backlog of clean energy projects waiting to be connected to the grid, the Department of Energy (DOE) has released a new roadmap outlining potential solutions.

The Transmission Interconnection Roadmap, developed by DOE’s Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X), sets success targets for interconnection improvement by 2030 and outlines tools that could improve the process for connecting more clean energy projects to a reliable grid.

The solutions in the final roadmap include:  

• Improving the scope, accessibility, quality, and standardisation of data on projects already in interconnection queues 
• Creating new and better use of existing fast-track options for interconnection, such as surplus interconnection service, generation replacement service, and energy-only interconnection service 
• Adopting and implementing a harmonised and comprehensive set of generation interconnection requirements or standards 
• Exploring and evaluating potential options for delinking the interconnection process and network upgrade investments to increase up-front interconnection cost certainty

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The 35 solutions in the roadmap are organised around increasing data access, transparency, and security for interconnection; improving interconnection process and timeline; promoting economic efficiency in interconnection; and maintaining a reliable, resilient, and secure grid.

The roadmap also includes four target metrics for 2030 that DOE says can be measured using publicly available data:

• Decreasing average time from interconnection request to interconnection agreement for completed projects to less than 12 months.
• Lowering the variance of interconnection costs for all projects to less than $150 per kilowatt.
• Increasing completion rates for projects that enter the facility study phase to greater than 70%.
• Eliminating annual North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) disturbance events involving unexpected tripping of IBRs that are not identified in analysis due to inaccurate IBR models. 

The roadmap is meant to serve as a guide for transmission providers, interconnection customers, state agencies, federal regulators, transmission owners, load serving entities (LSEs), equipment manufacturers, consumer advocates, equity and energy justice communities, advocacy groups, consultants, and the research community, which includes DOE.

Over the last decade, new requests have risen to 2,500–3,000 each year—a 300-500% increase. This backlog of requests can significantly delay clean energy deployment and lead to higher costs for project developers and electricity consumers. 

“Clearing the backlog of nearly 12,000 solar, wind, and storage projects waiting to connect to the grid is essential to deploying clean electricity to more Americans,” said US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Through the i2X programme, the Biden-Harris Administration is accelerating the interconnection process by ensuring all stakeholders have better access to data and improved standards and procedures as we seek to develop and maintain a more efficient, reliable and clean grid.” 

According to a report recently released by DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, nearly 2,600 GW of generation and storage capacity are actively seeking grid interconnection, which represents an eight-fold increase since 2014. The high volume of projects and inadequate existing procedures for interconnection has led to uncertainties, delays, inequities, and added costs for developers, consumers, utilities, and their regulators. 

DOE has multiple roles in implementing the solutions identified in the roadmap, such as facilitating solution adoption, providing funding and technical assistance, and supporting the research community. 

DOE’s Grid Deployment Office invests in accelerating the interconnection of clean energy generation through the $5 billion Grid Innovation Program, which supports deployment of projects that enhance grid resilience and reliability. DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office and Wind Energy Technologies Office recently released a $10 million funding opportunity for analytical tools and approaches to accelerate interconnection, and will be leading a series of forthcoming public forums aimed at implementation of interconnection standards.

Originally published by Sean Wolfe in Renewable Energy World.