BINGHAMTON, New York — July 1, 2020 — NYSEG and RG&E, subsidiaries of AVANGRID, Inc., announced today they have filed their 2020 Distributed System Implementation Plan (DSIP), which presents the companies’ strategy to integrate distributed energy resources (DER) into the New York grid. The plan outlines the framework for how the companies will support New York state energy and decarbonization goals by building integrated planning and interconnection, grid operations and market services functions.
Through execution of the DSIP, NYSEG and RG&E will work to achieve New York’s policy goals, provide customers with greater control over their energy usage and total energy bills and provide developers and other market participants with the information they need to make informed investment decisions.
“The electric power industry is in the midst of unprecedented change, enabled by innovation and advances in emerging clean energy, power delivery, and information technologies,” said Rita King, Senior Director of Smart Grids Innovation and Planning at AVANGRID. “The DSIP provides an actionable roadmap for our companies to support the decarbonization of New York’s economy, including the electrification of transportation and buildings, and will enable the integration of greater amounts of DER within our service areas. Our approach is customer centric, clean, integrated and smart.”
The five-year implementation plan involves investments in several key areas, including grid automation, energy storage, electric vehicles (EV), smart meter (advanced metering infrastructure) implementation and market services.
Grid Automation
A priority in the next five years is to make significant progress implementing a long-term grid automation program to improve the responsiveness, reliability, and efficiency of the distribution system. Investments will be made in grid devices that measure, monitor and control electric power flows along the network, capabilities that are necessary to accommodate large numbers of connected distributed energy resources and new electricity loads while also enhancing the resiliency of the grid.
Energy Storage
Energy storage, whether connected to the grid or located on customer premises, has the ability to smooth out demand profiles, lower energy costs, and contribute to clean energy goals. The DSIP includes four demonstration pilots being conducted to understand how to integrate storage. The companies’ objective is to proactively support the identification and development of energy storage projects that benefit customers and the grid and are attractive to developers.
Electric Vehicles (EV)
Electrification of the transportation sector will be a major contributor to greenhouse gas reductions and a clean economy. NYSEG and RG&E are supporting the development of the EV market within its service territories through continued development of capabilities, including integrating EV load while minimizing impact on peak demand, supporting EV growth with sufficient charging infrastructure while understanding impact and needs on the system. Additionally, as part of the recent rate case settlement filing, the companies proposed and are preparing to implement a comprehensive EV Program that would accelerate EV adoption throughout its service territories.
Smart Meter Implementation
A key technology project included in the DSIP is smart meter deployment, planned to begin in the spring of 2022, after approval of the recent rate case settlement filing. Smart meters will help customers manage their energy usage, and support time-varying pricing and innovative rate structures. It will also provide operational information such as power outages, voltage and detection of tampering.
Market Services
The DSIP presents the companies’ progress and future implementation plans for market services, including the development of an online marketplace. The platform will empower customers to make better energy management decisions by connecting them to pricing options and programs, as well as to products and services offered by competitive suppliers.
