Grid Modernization and Renewable Portfolio Standards

States, the federal government, and utilities are actively engaged in efforts to modernize and improve the electricity grid. In this webinar, Lisa Schwartz of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory gave an introduction to U.S. Department of Energy’s grid modernization initiative and discussed how research and technical assistance efforts by the national laboratories, funded by DOE, can help state regulators and policymakers better plan for grid modernization. Among the specific topics she covered are work to engage public utility commissions in distribution planning and analysis of utility regulation and business model issues in the context of grid modernization. Then, Lori Bird of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory discussed how grid modernization could impact RPS goal setting and implementation. These presentations were followed by a Q&A with the audience.

Presenters:

• Lisa Schwartz, Energy Efficiency Team Leader in the Electricity Markets and Policy Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• Lori Bird, Principal Analyst, in the Market and Policy Impact Analysis Group, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

This webinar is a presentation of the Clean Energy States Alliance’s RPS Collaborative.