The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X) released a new roadmap that can lead to shorter timelines and better outcomes for connecting clean energy resources to the distribution and sub-transmission grids. The Distributed Energy Resource Interconnection Roadmap also sets ambitious targets and strategies to improve interconnection processes and maintain reliability of the electric grid. DOE also announced $16 million in upcoming funding to support stakeholder engagement and technical assistance to adopt interconnection strategies on the distribution and transmission grids. Additionally, DOE and the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation announced $2.1 million for selected distribution utilities to pilot interconnection software solutions. And to encourage collaboration, DOE launched i2X Connect, an online platform that provides a space for interconnection stakeholders to exchange ideas and know-how. Improving interconnection processes will reduce costs, shorten timelines, and support a reliable, resilient electric grid.
“As more people and businesses choose to buy solar energy, wind turbines, batteries and electric vehicles, they are facing significant delays and roadblocks connecting to the grid,” said Jeff Marootian, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “The solutions in this roadmap tackle interconnection challenges from all angles to help communities across the country connect these resources faster, while increasing the resilience and reliability of the grid.”
Distributed energy resources (DERs) produce and supply electricity on a small scale and are distributed over a wide area. They primarily provide electricity to local consumers in homes and businesses. They include a diverse set of technologies, such as residential solar systems, community solar systems, distributed wind systems, battery energy storage and EV charging equipment.
Deployment of these resources is accelerating rapidly; for example, from 2010 to 2023, the number of residential rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems grew from 89,000 to 4.7 million. DER interconnection processes at the distribution and sub-transmission system levels need to evolve to handle the growing volume of customer demand. The complexity of this challenge calls for solutions that are customized for local market conditions and availability of distributed energy resources.
Roadmap to improve DER interconnection
The DOE roadmap provides the broad range of interconnection stakeholders—including utilities, state agencies, regulators, equipment manufacturers, consumer advocates, equity and energy justice groups, researchers, interconnection customers and other actors — with 39 solutions organized around four goals:
- Increasing data access, transparency and security
- Improving interconnection processes and timelines
- Promoting economic efficiency in interconnection
- Maintaining a reliable, resilient, and secure grid
The roadmap provides specific actions that the interconnection community can take in the next five years and beyond to address current DER interconnection challenges. It was developed through extensive engagement with more than 1,000 interconnection stakeholders. The roadmap solutions offer innovative strategies rather than prescriptive fixes and are categorized to help stakeholders in different states or regions identify those that best meet their needs and priorities.
The roadmap also identifies five measurable targets for interconnection improvement by 2030. These include ambitious targets for shorter interconnection times and higher interconnection completion rates based on the size of the new system. The roadmap targets also aim for all 50 U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia and U.S. territories, to have public, detailed and current interconnection queue data available. Additionally, the roadmap sets goals for grid resilience and reliability: ensuring zero DER-related grid disturbances and decreasing the time to restore service after a power outage by 25%.
Join i2X for a kickoff and overview webinar on the roadmap on January 30 at 2 p.m. ET.
News item from DOE
