Grid Modernization Outcomes, Capabilities, and Enablers (Version 2.0)

Outcomes / Capabilities/Activities* / Enablers
Customer Engagement
and Empowerment / Rate Design (especially Time-Varying Rates) /
  • Billing System
  • Metering System (AMI)
  • Meter Data Management System
  • Customer Information Management System
  • Customer Communication System (e.g., web portals)
  • Rate Design Targeted Tariffs (e.g., TOU, TVR, DER, and EV rates)
  • Geo-targeting (i.e., identify locational value of DER)
  • SCADA/DMS (storage demand response)
  • Third-Party, Competitive Aggregators and Suppliers
  • Information: Transparency, Management, Control, Privacy

Home Energy Management Systems& Smart Appliances
Information: Access to Customer and System Data
Information: Transparency, Management, Control, PrivacyAccess to customer data
Education and Enhanced Technical Assistance
Storage Technologies, EVS, PV, and CHP
Energy Efficiency Programs (traditional and CVR)
Demand Response Programs
Third-Party, Competitive Aggregators and SuppliersCompetitive Supply Options
OptimizeDemand / Rate Design (especially Time-Varying Rates) /
  • Billing System
  • Metering System (AMI)
  • Meter Data Management System
  • Communications
  • SCADA/Distribution Management System/DA
  • Rate Design Targeted Tariffs (e.g., TOU, TVR, DER, and EV rates)

Volt/VAR Control, ConservationVoltage Reduction
Load Control
Home Area NetworkCapability and Home Energy Management Systems
Energy Storage
Advanced Load Forecasting
IntegrateDistributed Resources / Rate Design (especially Time-Varying Rates) /
  • Communications
  • SCADA/Distribution Management System/DA
  • Relays and protection systems
  • GIS
  • System and circuit planning models
  • Metering System (AMI)
  • Rate Design Targeted Tariffs (e.g., TOU, TVR, DER, and EV rates)

Voltage Regulation
Load Leveling and Shifting
System protection (3V0, voltage control, reverse power, DTT, frequency)
Energy Storage
RemoteConnect/Disconnect
ResiliencyReliability:
Improve Response reduce impact of to Outages / Fault Detection, Isolation andRestoration /
  • Communications
  • SCADA/Distribution ManagementSystem/DA
  • System and circuit planning models
  • OutageManagementSystem
  • Geospatial Information System
  • Real-Time Communication System
  • System Sensors
  • Voltage and Frequency Control, Protection
  • Mobile damage assessment
  • Metering System (i.e. outage information from AMI)

Automated Feeder Reconfiguration
Intentional Islanding (e.g., strategic microgrids)
Situational Awareness
Damage Assessment
Distributed Energy Resources (especially i.e. microgrids, demand response and back-up generation resources)
Reliability:
Prevent Outages / System Hardening /
  • Reliability database
  • Asset management system
  • GIS
  • PLC based AMI systems

Aging Infrastructure Replacement
Pre-Detection of Potential Outages
VegetationManagement
Workforceand Asset Management / Mobile Workforce Management / Communications
  • OutageManagement System
  • Geospatial InformationSystem
  • Mobile Data Systems

Mobile Geospatial InformationSystem
RemoteMonitoring and Diagnostics

Note: Capabilities/Activitiesareconnectedhereto theirprimary outcomes.Some Capabilities/Activities can alsohelp facilitateother outcomes (seedefinitions).

Overarching Goals:

  1. Improve reliability and resiliency
  2. Improve operational efficiency of the grid
  3. Empower customers to use electricity more efficiently and to lower their bills

4.Achieve economically efficient and equitable pricing of generating, transmitting and distributing electricity, commensurate with other goals Reduce the costs of generating, transmitting, and distributing electricity

  1. Reduce environmental impacts of the electricity industry

Resiliency is more than just reliability or preventing outages. Resiliency is the ability of the electric system to safely and reliably integrate intermittent distributed resources, optimize demand, reduce impact of outages, prevent outages, and effectively act as the enabling platform for many different grid modernization uses and technologies.