Meeting Information

The MADRI steering committee decided to focus this meeting and several upcoming meetings on the topic of integrated distribution planning, with the goal of ultimately developing a Commission Guide to inform the actions of state public utility commissions and other stakeholders. This meeting included expert presentations on some of the relevant planning issues, as well as a moderated discussion of how the MADRI community might develop such a Guide including a discussion of an outline and subtopics.

This MADRI meeting focused on key issues that must be addressed to extend DER opportunities to all customers and ensure that distribution system costs are not unfairly shifted from more affluent customers to LMI customers. We examined some of the biggest challenges for LMI customer participation in DER opportunities, and some emerging and established practices that address those challenges.

This meeting explored different approaches to ensuring that utilities have the opportunity to recover their revenues in a manner that’s consistent with how the power sector is transforming. Topics included performance-based ratemaking, multi-year rate plans, decoupling, and a “bonus presentation” on the benefits of smart inverters.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are here, and they could have a profound impact on the future of the power sector. EVs are more than just a new “load” that the system must serve. If the right policies and regulations are instituted, EVs have the potential to save money for consumers, reduce air pollution, increase utility revenues, and provide ancillary services. MADRI’s 46th meeting will focus – for the first time – on EVs as a new kind of distributed resource. We’ll explore the status quo and future of EV deployment, the impacts of EVs on the grid and integration, regulatory issues relating to ownership of public charging infrastructure, and how rate design and prices shape these issues.

The United States has one of the most technologically advanced, reliable grids in the world. And yet, the need to modernize the grid to accommodate new energy and information technologies, market structures, and customer preferences is urgent.