Advanced Microgrids: Moving To A New Market, Customer And Data-Driven Regulatory Paradigm
Market drivers for fundamental change (technologies, market conditions, and policy directives relating to decarbonization/electrification; resilience; clean energy; and energy efficiency) are converging exponentially, with respect to the electricity sector and community built-environment and energy infrastructure. Advanced Microgrids, with capabilities to provide integrated energy solutions, can be building blocks for Grid and Community transformation. However, a new Market, Customer and Data-Driven Regulatory Paradigm is needed to forge a pathway for energy and resource integration within the Grid and our Communities and to unleash new innovative business models for Advanced Microgrid local energy network development. My talk will discuss notable regulatory developments in the US and UK that are addressing material legacy barriers and seeking to capture the value of distributed resources such as microgrids in Grid and Community planning, investments and operations. This talk will focus on changes relating to dynamic rate design; transactive retail market structuring; flexible demand management strategies; data portability and information access; and customer participation and compensation in the marketplace, all within the context of growing intelligent connectivity. These regulatory efforts are shaping new Grid and Community parameters; new Market Players; and new "Rules of the Road" that can maximize microgrid systems-based, value creation with multiplier benefits.
Key Learning Points:
- Market Drivers (technology, market and policy drivers) are compelling fundamental changes in the energy landscape; changes in the electricity sector and community built-environment, end uses and energy infrastructure;
- Advanced Microgrids, with evolving systems-based capabilities, can be "building blocks" for Grid and Community transformation, including providing "co-benefits" to Customers, the Grid, Markets and Communities through "integrated energy solutions;"
- A new "Market, Customer and Data-Driven Regulatory Paradigm" is needed to foster an Energy and Resource Integration Pathway, one that can integrate distributed resources such as microgrids into Grid and Community planning, investments/procurements and operations in mutually beneficial ways to fully realize the net benefits of these new resources;
- Significant regulatory developments are occurring in the US and UK that are breaking ground in overcoming legacy regulatory barriers and seeking to capture the value of DER and microgrids, especially relating to dynamic pricing/rate design; retail transactive market structuring; flexible demand management strategies; data portability and information access; and customer participation and compensation in the marketplace, all within an environment of growing intelligent connectivity;
- These regulatory efforts are shaping new Grid and Community parameters; the roles and responsibilities of new Market Players and Institutions; and new "Rules of the Road;" in doing so, they are laying a foundation for progressing dynamic interactions between a Smart Grid, Advanced Microgrid Local Energy Networks; and Advanced Energy Communities, towards capturing demand side and end-use synergies.
Larisa Dobriansky
Chief Business & Regulatory Innovations Officer
General MicroGrids
Larisa Dobriansky is Chief Business & Regulatory Innovations Officer at General MicroGrids. She focuses on regulatory, institutional and financial changes that can leverage the capabilities of advanced microgrids to deliver integrated energy solutions to power systems and communities. Drawing upon over 20 years of experience in the Energy, Environmental and Financial regulatory fields, she helps shape new financing mechanisms, market designs, and utility and energy regulatory reforms to support a sustainable, efficient, reliable and resilient transformation of Grid and Community energy infrastructure to meet 21st century demands. Ms. Dobriansky is helping to achieve reforms that can capture the value that an intelligent, dynamic microgrid system can provide to the Grid, Market and Communities. Her efforts are aimed at incentivizing investment in Advanced Microgrids that optimize distributed resources, expand "energy-sharing" parameters, and foster transactive energy markets.
Ms. Dobriansky has served in senior management positions within the private sector and U.S. Government. She formerly served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for National Energy Policy at the U.S. Department of Energy. In that capacity, she secured U.S. Congressional authorization for the Department's first loan guarantee program for clean energy technologies to address the "Valley of Death" and move technologies out of demonstration and into the marketplace. She is currently working with microgrid developers, utilities, Federal and State governmental agencies and regulators, local communities, consumer advocates, NGOs and other stakeholders to develop a "regulatory eco-system" to support Advanced Microgrid and Integrated Local Energy Network market development.
Chief Business & Regulatory Innovations Officer
General MicroGrids
Larisa Dobriansky is Chief Business & Regulatory Innovations Officer at General MicroGrids. She focuses on regulatory, institutional and financial changes that can leverage the capabilities of advanced microgrids to deliver integrated energy solutions to power systems and communities. Drawing upon over 20 years of experience in the Energy, Environmental and Financial regulatory fields, she helps shape new financing mechanisms, market designs, and utility and energy regulatory reforms to support a sustainable, efficient, reliable and resilient transformation of Grid and Community energy infrastructure to meet 21st century demands. Ms. Dobriansky is helping to achieve reforms that can capture the value that an intelligent, dynamic microgrid system can provide to the Grid, Market and Communities. Her efforts are aimed at incentivizing investment in Advanced Microgrids that optimize distributed resources, expand "energy-sharing" parameters, and foster transactive energy markets.
Ms. Dobriansky has served in senior management positions within the private sector and U.S. Government. She formerly served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for National Energy Policy at the U.S. Department of Energy. In that capacity, she secured U.S. Congressional authorization for the Department's first loan guarantee program for clean energy technologies to address the "Valley of Death" and move technologies out of demonstration and into the marketplace. She is currently working with microgrid developers, utilities, Federal and State governmental agencies and regulators, local communities, consumer advocates, NGOs and other stakeholders to develop a "regulatory eco-system" to support Advanced Microgrid and Integrated Local Energy Network market development.