modernization

A Formula for Grid Modernization?

How is it going?

Ann McCabe is a commissioner at the Illinois Commerce Commission. The views expressed in this article are her own.

Five years have passed since Commonwealth Edison and Ameren Illinois elected to participate in the Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act, which authorized $3.2 billion in grid hardening and smart meter investments. As a commissioner at the Illinois Commerce Commission, I am often asked: How is it going?

Byline: 

Ann McCabe, with Orijit Ghoshal and Bill Peters

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Integrated Energy

Distributed energy + distributed controls = distributed benefits.

Utility business models are at risk in a world of distributed energy resources and local intelligent controls, such as microgrids. But the real revolution may lie in customer expectations, where third parties threaten to take ownership.
Byline: 

Sunil Cherian

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Integrated Distribution Planning

An Idea Whose Time Has Come

The next frontier, and the logical extension of integrated resource planning. Self-generation, the connected home, the celebrated internet of things – they all suggest it’s time to focus on the local grid.
Byline: 

Paul Alvarez

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Toward a 21st Century Grid

Producing value with advanced distribution management systems.

Changing demands from regulators, customers, and shareholders are driving utilities toward better operational technologies to manage an increasingly complex grid. Advanced distribution management systems (ADMS) promise nearly real-time operational insight for maintaining reliability, safety, and security.
Byline: 

Nicholas Abi-Samra, et al.

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Results-Based Regulation

A more dynamic approach to grid modernization.

The utility’s role is changing, and regulation must change along with it – to spur innovation and respond to evolving customer needs. Modernizing the industry will require a dynamic approach.
Byline: 

David Malkin and Paul A. Centolella

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Reinventing the Grid

How to find a future that works.

The traditional central-station grid is evolving toward a more distributed architecture, accommodating a variety of resources spread out across the network. An open and thoughtful planning approach will allow an orderly transition to an integrated system – while fostering innovation among a wider range of industry players.
Byline: 

Michael T. Burr

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Modernization Foundation

Near-term vision for advanced distribution management.

Recent superstorms and other major events have raised the bar for utility reliability and grid planning. By bringing together various advanced systems in an integrated distribution management platform, utilities can make power systems more resilient – and provide better service for customers.
Byline: 

Robert Uluski

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Power Breakfast

Fortnightly’s Executive Roundtable considers industry options and risks.

Fortnightly recently convened a group of senior operations executives from a variety of companies to discuss current trends in the U.S. power industry. Their comments reflect a mixed outlook on the industry’s transitionary changes.
Byline: 

Michael T. Burr

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Smart Transition

Embracing a competitive and digital future for utilities.

A recent Accenture survey shows utility executives believe smart grid capabilities will transform the industry and bring competitive opportunities.
Byline: 

Jack Azagury

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Game Changers

State regulators address transformative forces.

In Fortnightly’s Regulators’ Roundtable, commissioners from Idaho, Illinois, and Minnesota consider transformative forces and the regulatory response.
Byline: 

Michael T. Burr

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