Energy execs discussed the greatest challenges facing the electric grid at recent grid-edge event.
In a super session called Shaping Utilities of the Future at the IEEE Grid Edge conference and expo in San Diego, senior energy executives outlined the biggest challenges in front of electric utilities as they navigate the road to a net-zero energy system.
Panelists Shay Bahramirad Senior Vice President of Engineering, Asset Management, and Capital Programs at LUMA Energy; Jeff Bladen, Meta’s Global Director of Meta Platforms; Caroline Winn, CEO of San Diego Gas and Electric; and Curt Mansfield, SVP of Power Delivery at PacifiCorp gave their perspectives on how to meet the net-zero challenge in front of electricity providers. The panel was moderated by Wayne Bishop.
Mansfied, a power system operator, said the challenge is inertia, which is a physical property important for the electricity grid’s stability. Today, if a generator suddenly loses power, the inertia of other generators in the grid will help to keep the grid’s frequency stable. Indeed, the electric grid was built on generators that are able to provide inertia. However, the changing power capacity mix means technologies like wind and solar, which are inverter-based resources, are unable to provide that much-needed inertia.
The second challenge he identified is managing the incredible volume of data that will be needed to efficiently manage the grid.
For Winn, it’s all about affordability. SDG&E calculated what it said was the true cost of a fully decarbonized and electrified energy system and found it clocked in at $2.7 trillion. “Doing that on the backs of customers is unsustainable,” she said. Winn said she believes federal dollars will help and said that her utility has applied for some of the IIJA funds but it won’t be enough. Affordability is a big challenge, she said.
In addition to affordability, a third challenge is planning, especially when it comes to electric vehicle adoption. How does a utility know when “you and your neighbors all have EVs and plan to charge at the same time,” she asked. “We need that clairvoyance to know where the EVs are.”
Bladen, who is responsible for strategy and execution of the energy footprint for Meta (Facebook), praised Winn for the work that SDG&E has done in figuring out the true cost of the transition and creating a roadmap toward that goal. For him, collaboration and partnerships are the key to making sure that plans set out by utilities are as robust and verified as possible. Planning in silos is at best inefficient, he said, and at worst it won’t work.
Transmission was a fourth major issue. Bladen expressed dismay at the effort that goes into fighting against building new transmission lines. He said he’d love to flip the script, in which communities fight instead over the benefits that new transmission will bring them.
For Bahramirad, whose company is responsible for electric service in Puerto Rico, the biggest issue is talent and workforce. She said she needs engineers who have analytical and communication skills so they can explain challenging and complex topics to regulators and policymakers.
“As much as technology leads,” she said, “policy rules.” Engineers must be able to communicate.
Over the course of the IEEE Grid Edge event, many speakers expressed concerns about the slow speed of adoption of new technologies that will help with the energy transition. Transmission must be expanded more quickly, EVs chargers must be installed faster and interconnection bottlenecks must be alleviated if decarbonization goals are going to be met.
