Crosscurrents
Welcome!
Acadia Center is pleased to welcome you to this inaugural issue of Crosscurrents, a newsletter for cities and towns in the midst of the energy transition!
Local governments are at the forefront of policy innovation— developing and implementing goals and programs that set the pace for reducing climate-altering emissions. Because the transition to a clean energy economy requires the electrification of heating and transportation services that currently rely on fossil fuels, the success of municipalities in meeting their ambitious policy goals ultimately depends on decarbonizing the electrical grid. The manner in which, and the pace at which, the grid is decarbonized, however, is in the hands of federal and regional entities—the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the New England Power Pool (NEPOOL), and the Independent System Operator of New England (ISO-NE)—and is beyond the direct control of local communities. Nevertheless, as stakeholders responsible for the welfare and well-being of their residents, with a corresponding interest in encouraging the equitable development of energy that is sustainable, reliable, and affordable, cities and towns are in a unique position to influence outcomes at the federal and regional levels.
IN THIS ISSUE
Welcome!
PAGE 1
Spotlight:
Power Demand is Expected to Double by 2050. Must Transmission Capacity Double as Well?
PAGE 2
Around the Region: A Digest of Energy News from Around the Northeast
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The End User: Calendar and Announcements of Events Around the Northeast
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Crosscurrents will provide its readers with contextualized information concerning the policies that FERC, the ISOs, and NEPOOL are developing and implementing, and will assess the potential those policies have to accelerate or frustrate progress on the climate and energy goals that local communities have set.
Crosscurrents is part of Acadia Center’s Communities and Clean Grid program, a forum and resource for cities and towns working to secure progress on clean energy solutions that support the prosperity, health, and equitable treatment of their residents. The planning, operation, and management of the regional grid has a direct impact on the fulfillment of local communities’ policy goals and the success of communityimplemented programs, and they have a direct bearing on the quality of life of their residents. The policies that guide the present operation and determine the future of the grid, however, are too often misaligned with the interests of cities and towns, and the people who live and work in them. The Communities and Clean Grid program seeks to place local communities on an equal footing with other stakeholders seeking to influence ISO New England decision-making. To learn more about the Communities and Clean Grid Program here.
ISO New England (ISO-NE) has estimated that the beneficial electrification of heating and transportation—the replacement of fossil fuel-consuming furnaces and vehicles with heat pumps and EVs—will double the amount of electricity the New England region will need by 2050. Notably, ISONE announced this finding in its 2050 Transmission Study. The fact that New England electricity demand is poised to double in the next quarter century invites several questions about the regional transmission system. If there are 9,000 miles of transmission lines serving the region today, how many miles of new transmission lines will have to be built to deliver twice as much electricity to customers? Where will those lines be built? How much will they cost? The answers to each of these questions has implications for local communities throughout the region.
The region’s power system is undergoing a major transformation, and we’ve been laying the groundwork for the clean energy transition for the past two decades.
- ISO NEW ENGLAND
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The region’s highest demand peak thus far equaled 28 gigawatts (GW). By comparison, ISO-NE is predicting that peak will climb to between 51 GW to 57 GW by 2050. That 6 GW range in ISO-NE’s estimate of 2050 peak demand reflects the difference made when measures are taken to limit future load growth. According to ISO-NE’s estimate the value of that 6 GW difference is no less than $9 billion. (Each GW of new load between the current 28 GW peak and 51 GW would require $.75 billion in transmission upgrades; the cost of upgrades for each of the 6 GW between 51 GW and 57 GW doubles to $1.5 billion.) Cost avoidance, however, isn’t the only reason to minimize future peak loads. Minimizing the construction of transmission in new rights of way will also avoid community and environmental impacts, and the potential for conflicts over siting. Better still, maximizing the capacity of transmission in existing rights of way would accelerate the decarbonization of the New England grid while avoiding the costs, delays, and siting burdens associated with new transmission.
ISO-NE’s suggested strategy to limit demand to the 51 GW peak depends on the continued use of fossil fuels for seasonal heating: a 51 GW peak could be achieved if heating was 80% electrified and transportation 100% electrified. But compromising on decarbonization isn’t the only strategy available to meet the region’s future transmission needs. Advanced Transmission Technologies (ATTs) can add to the capacity of existing transmission lines:
• ATTs include Dynamic Line Ratings (DLRs), which use sensing devices and algorithms to collect weather data and other information to calculate the maximum amount of capacity a transmission line can carry. A two-year Massachusetts pilot DLR installation revealed 31% in unutilized transmission line capacity;
• ATTs also include power flow control, a means of routing electricity to transmission lines with available capacity, and topology optimization, which identifies pathways around congested or overloaded transmission lines;
• Reconductoring—replacing old transmission conductors with modern equivalents—can also rapidly expand the capacity of existing transmission lines.
Will it be necessary to double both New England’s power production and the size of its transmission system?
Not with comprehensive planning that first maximizes the capacity of the transmission system we already have. While it is an inevitability that new transmission lines will have to be built to meet the region’s 2050 power needs, especially to bring offshore wind power onto the grid and to increase the amount of power shared between New England and neighboring grids in New York and Canada, ATTs are a key tool to ensure that the amount of new transmission and its associated burdens and costs are minimized.
