The US electric power grid has a remarkably sophisticated and capable control system that has centralized, distributed, and autonomous components and in some regions is integrated with real time optimizing electricity markets – sophisticated and capable that is, for the 20th Century grid. Depending on […]
The Fly-by-Wire Grid We Need Read More »
In the discipline of Grid Architecture, we recognize that an architecture is composed of three types of things: structure, back box components, and externally visible characteristics. Components are black box in the sense that we are not concerned with how they work or are implemented
DER and Anti-Gravity Read More »
Changing the grid to meet 21st Century needs is a serious business, involving hard work at all stages. There is much discussion in the industry about grid transformation, but most proposals and efforts are in fact incremental steps that make essentially small linear changes to
Building the Grid We Need: Incremental Change vs. Core Grid Transformation Read More »
“A source of increasing tension is the difference in mindset between the traditional industry scarcity mindset versus customers and new business entities with an abundance mindset.” Scarcity thinking has permeated much of the electricity industry’s regulation and decision-making methods that are now constraining the transition
Abundance vs Scarcity Thinking Read More »
The rapid uptake of distributed generation (DG) has impacts on the distribution system, bulk power system, and utility cost recovery economics, especially with high penetrations of DG. On the distribution system, utilities worry about voltage regulation, reverse power flow, protection schemes, and thermal limits. On
What is Your Path to a High DER Future? Read More »
Welcome to the Pacific Energy Institute and our Blog. The Pacific Energy Institute envisions a sustainable world that is significantly dependent upon distributed energy resources linked across an enabling electricity network. We are addressing the need for independent, informed and balanced perspective on the complex
Welcome to the Pacific Energy Institute Read More »