{"id":3436,"date":"2022-06-06T14:00:04","date_gmt":"2022-06-06T14:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itegriti.com\/kw022024\/?p=3436"},"modified":"2022-09-12T09:47:47","modified_gmt":"2022-09-12T09:47:47","slug":"ferc-releases-a-transmission-nopr-translation-we-need-to-brace-our-energy-infrastructure-for-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itegriti.com\/kw022024\/2022\/managed-services\/ferc-releases-a-transmission-nopr-translation-we-need-to-brace-our-energy-infrastructure-for-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"FERC’s Transmission NOPR. Translation: Brace for impact."},"content":{"rendered":"

Under a load of legal jargon is one central issue: the grid is growing (buckling, some may say), and we need solutions. The energy grid is already bearing as much as it can handle, we\u2019ve already put it through more than its intended use. Its legacy architecture doesn\u2019t age well and may not be able to keep up in the coming decades. Good to think ahead. While measures are being taken to revamp the whole system to a rebooted smart grid, changes are slow in coming, and the energy issue needs to be handled now.<\/p>\n

FERC (the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)<\/a> (FERC) oversees electricity in the US. Its mission is to \u201cAssist consumers in obtaining reliable, safe, secure, and economically efficient energy services at a reasonable cost through appropriate regulatory and market means, and collaborative efforts.\u201d In other words, to get good energy out to the public reliably, affordably and by whatever legal means available. They\u2019ve decided the grid as it stands needs an upgrade.<\/p>\n

To do that, they\u2019ve issued a NOPR, or Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, to get the ball rolling on legislation that will make energy transmission facilities (the plants that actually move big power from the source to the consumer) more reliable, efficient, and just better able to handle the dynamic load of electrical burdens we place \u2013 and will continue to place \u2013 upon it. It\u2019s 2022 and things are not slowing down. Right, Alexa?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s see what NERC sees in the problem, what the NOPR entails, and the benefits and barriers to implementing the improvements they suggest. Either the grid gets gradual facelifts, or it eventually buckles under the load (care for more blackouts)? Let\u2019s take a look together at what these proposed rules do in terms of bolstering our current electrical infrastructure.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the problem with the grid, and why do we need to improve it?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Think about it \u2013 the US energy grid is an electric marvel, spanning over 600,000 miles<\/a> of transmission wires and boasting over 1 million watts in generating capacity. That\u2019s big. But not big enough. With the shift towards renewable sources of energy (think wind turbines) and consumer energy sources that divert energy back (think solar panels, electric vehicles<\/a>, and storage batteries), the grid needs to be able to take energy back and all around be more responsive to consumer needs. And wouldn\u2019t it be nice to have an app where we can check real-time energy usage and maybe save a few bucks? Yep, not everyone has that, but that\u2019s a problem for another day.<\/p>\n

The issue we\u2019re dealing with now (on the way to making things infinitely more convenient) is to just make sure things work. Like I stated, the grid is already being stretched past capacity as we burden a system that was made for a few household lightbulbs and maybe a radio or two to power a modern 21st<\/sup> century home with all that it entails. Think about an average Thursday night \u2013 your kids are home, there are TVs going in every room, you\u2019re running a load of wash, nobody remembered to turn the lights off in the bathroom (of course), someone\u2019s gaming, someone\u2019s streaming, someone\u2019s microwaving something, your five-year-old is talking to Alexa and you\u2019re charging your Tesla. Hopefully. Other than your virtual doorbell and that gig-speed internet, you\u2019re a pretty electricity-conscious family. After all, you\u2019ve got an EV and some solar panels up on the roof \u2013 but even those contribute back to the grid, don\u2019t they?<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll skip the office scenario (you can imagine that), and we\u2019ve said nothing of the complete reliance of everything corporate \u2013 from a Wendy\u2019s to a brokerage firm \u2013 on POS systems, software, and virtual machines. It\u2019s the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and electricity is the new coal.<\/p>\n

Now consider temperamental weather changes, the effects of climate change, and all-too-common natural disasters like fires, floods, winter storms, and their resulting power outages and <\/em>what that does to renewable energy sources<\/a>, and we see what FERC sees \u2013 we need a reliable grid.<\/p>\n

What is NOPR?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This is how they\u2019re proposing to do it. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking<\/a> to set out the rules by which the new energy maximization game will be played. And it\u2019s time for some new rules. Specifically, these are proposed changes to regional transmission planning (or how to plan the local energy hubs that distribute power to consumers). The NOPR includes six basic proposals<\/a>, which would require transmission hubs to:<\/p>\n