The US Department of Energy (DOE) has released a report new road map outlining solutions to accelerate the interconnection of clean energy to the national transmission grid and eliminate the existing backlog of solar, wind and battery projects yet to be built. The Transmission Interconnection Roadmap, developed by DOE’s Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X), serves as guidance for transmission providers, interconnection customers, government agencies, federal regulators, transmission owners, load serving entities (LSEs), equipment manufacturers, consumer advocates, communities on the field of equity and energy justice, advocacy groups, consultants and the research community, including DOE. The roadmap sets aggressive success goals for improving interconnection by 2030 and outlines tools that will improve the process of connecting more clean energy projects to a reliable electric grid, while helping achieve the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035.
“Clearing the backlog of nearly 12,000 solar, wind and storage projects waiting to connect to the grid is essential to bringing clean electricity to more Americans,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Through the i2X program, the Biden-Harris Administration is accelerating the interconnection process by ensuring all stakeholders have greater access to data and improved standards and procedures as we work to develop and maintain a more efficient, reliable and cleaner network.”
According to a report recently released by DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratoryalmost 2,600 GW of generation and storage capacity is actively seeking network interconnection, representing an eightfold increase since 2014. The large number of projects and inadequate existing procedures for interconnection have led to uncertainties, delays, inequalities and additional costs for developers. consumers, utilities and their regulators.
The i2X roadmap offers a wide range of stakeholders, such as transmission providers, government agencies, federal regulators, equipment manufacturers and other actors, a set of 35 solutions organized around increasing data access, transparency and security for interconnection; improving the interconnection process and timeline; promoting economic efficiency in interconnection; and maintaining a reliable, resilient and secure network. The roadmap includes four target metrics for interconnection reform, including shorter interconnection times, lower interconnection cost variance, higher completion rates, and zero disruptions attributed to the modeling.
Over the past two years of developing the roadmap, DOE has been gathering ideas and possible solutions through a series of stakeholder workshops and virtual meetings, along with a request for information published in October 2023 seeking public feedback and comments on a draft version of the request a document. The solutions in the final roadmap include:
- Improving the scope, accessibility, quality and standardization of data on projects already in interconnection queues
- Creating new and better uses of existing high-speed interconnection options, such as redundant interconnection services, electricity generation replacement services and energy-only interconnection services
- Adopting and implementing a harmonized and comprehensive set of requirements or standards for the interconnection of electricity production
- Exploring and evaluating possible options for decoupling the interconnection process and investing in network upgrades to increase the certainty of upfront interconnection costs.
DOE support to implement solutions
DOE has multiple roles in implementing the solutions identified in the Roadmap, including facilitating solution adoption, providing funding and technical assistance, and supporting the research community. DOE’s Grid Deployment Office is investing in accelerating the interconnection of clean energy generation through the $5 billion Grid innovation program, which supports the deployment of projects that use innovative approaches to increase the resilience and reliability of the electricity grid. DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office and Wind Energy Technologies Office recently released $10 million in funding financing option for analytical tools and approaches to accelerate interconnection and will lead a series of upcoming public forums focused on implementing interconnection standards to maintain a reliable, resilient and secure network.
Through the Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Programthe Loan Programs Office seeks to finance energy infrastructure projects, including investments in transmission infrastructure to support transmission interconnection, transmission line re-engineering, and voltage upgrades. DOE also supports the deployment of electric vehicle charging through the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. The Joint Office convenes stakeholders to identify the gaps that currently exist between transmission and transportation planning to accelerate the development of transmission within transportation law.
Register for a webinar on May 8 at 1:00 PM ET to learn more about the roadmap’s goals and solutions.
News item from i2X
