Utilities are implementing several strategies to address interconnection queue challenges, focusing on process improvements, proactive planning, and technological upgrades:
Process and Policy Reforms
- First-come, first-served prioritization replacement: Moving away from rigid queue systems to more dynamic prioritization methods, as traditional queues incentivize premature applications and delays.
- Stakeholder collaboration: Engaging regulators, developers, and technology providers to streamline procedures, as seen in DOE’s roadmap emphasizing data transparency and standardized processes.
- Regional transmission planning: Aligning grid upgrades with projected clean energy demand, highlighted by FERC’s focus on proactive transmission planning to avoid reactive upgrades.
Proactive Grid Management
- Hosting capacity forecasting: Utilities like those in Maryland are predicting DER hotspots and preemptively upgrading infrastructure to reduce congestion-related delays.
- Grid-enhancing technologies (GETs): Using advanced tools like dynamic line rating and power flow controllers to optimize existing grid capacity, enabling faster project integration without costly upgrades.
Data and Technology Solutions
- Interconnection queue transparency: Publishing detailed, real-time queue data (a 2030 DOE target) to improve planning efficiency and reduce redundant studies.
- Standardized cost allocation: DOE’s roadmap advocates for equitable cost-sharing models to prevent unexpected upgrade expenses from derailing projects.
Regulatory and Market Innovations
- FERC rule revisions: Reforming pro forma agreements to accelerate study timelines and penalize delays, addressing systemic bottlenecks in large-scale project approvals.
- Interconnection automation: Leveraging software to automate feasibility assessments, reducing manual review times and human error.
Utilities are increasingly adopting hybrid approaches, combining GETs with process reforms, to balance immediate congestion relief with long-term grid resilience goals.
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