Near-term load growth strategies for utilities
Four near-term strategies for load growth.
Demand from data centers, manufacturing and electrification is arriving faster than new lines can be built. The white paper sets out four near-term strategies for load growth: virtual power plants, non-wires alternatives, dynamic line ratings and advanced conductors.
Virtual power plants
Distributed energy resources coordinated to act together, managed through a DERMS.
Non-wires alternatives
Distributed resources, demand response or efficiency in place of a wires upgrade.
Dynamic line ratings
Lines rated on actual conditions rather than fixed assumptions.
Advanced conductors
More capacity from existing corridors.
The white paper answers
- Which of the four strategies fits a utility’s timeline and grid?
- How do a virtual power plant and a non-wires alternative defer a wires upgrade?
- What do dynamic line ratings and advanced conductors add to existing corridors?
For utility planners, grid operators and executives facing load growth from data centers, manufacturing and electrification.
Request the white paper
The Getting More Out of the Grid white paper arrives by email.
More from the grid you already have
Long-term generation and transmission upgrades take years. The strategies in this paper are digital and near-term: they get more out of the distributed resources and corridors a utility already has.
Utilities that act now with the right mix can keep serving customers reliably and affordably while the bigger builds catch up.
Quick answers
What can utilities do about near-term load growth?
Four near-term strategies: virtual power plants, non-wires alternatives, dynamic line ratings and advanced conductors.
What is a non-wires alternative?
An investment in distributed resources, demand response or efficiency that defers or replaces a traditional wires upgrade.
What is a virtual power plant?
A coordinated fleet of distributed energy resources that a utility dispatches together, managed through a DERMS.