Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Smart Grids: Report on US Focus Groups Jennie Stephens Clark University Elizabeth Wilson University of Minnesota May 7, 2014 Regional Transmission Organization Jurisdiction Customers Generation capacity Miles of Transmission Lines ISO-NE Multi-state 14 million 32,000 MW 8,130 65,250 MISO Multi-state 48 million 205,759 MW ERCOT Single state 23 million 84,000 MW 40,530 CA-ISO Single state 30 million 59,000 MW 25,865 NYISO Single state 19.5 million 37,925 MW 11,005 Study Design Three Methods Media Analysis Policy and Document Analysis Focus Groups Three RTOs ISO-NE MISO ERCOT CA-ISO NY-ISO Five States Massachusetts, Vermont Minnesota, Illinois Texas California New York IN PROGRESS • Stephens, JC, EJ Wilson, TR Peterson. Forthcoming. Power Struggles: The Promises and Pitfalls of Smart Grid. Cambridge University Press. Publication in fall 2014. • Langheim, R, M Skubel, X Chen, W Maxwell, TR Peterson, EJ Wilson, JC Stephens. (Revision just submitted) Smart Grid in the News: U.S. Policy & Conversations. The Electricity Journal. • Stephens, J., E. Wilson and T. Peterson (in press). "Socio-Political Evaluation of Energy Deployment (SPEED): A Framework Applied to Smart Grid." UCLA Law Review. • Eagles, J. Strubb, A. Slayton, R, Stephens, JC, Feldspauch-Parker, A. Peterson, T. Wilson, EJ. Regional Transmission Organizations Getting Smart(er): Grid modernization and Sociotechnical transformation • Strubb, A. Media Analysis of Newspapers, Popular Science, and Techie Magazines • Collins, R. Feldspausch, A. Stephens, JC, Electricity System Planning Post-Superstorm Sandy: Analysis of Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Discourse. In preparation for Climatic Change MEDIA ANALYSIS Langheim, R, M Skubel, X Chen, W Maxwell, TR Peterson, EJ Wilson, JC Stephens. (Revision just submitted) Smart Grid in the News: U.S. Policy & Conversations. The Electricity Journal. 70 60 Number of Articles 50 40 30 20 10 0 WSJ USAT NYT Total '98 1 0 0 1 '99 0 0 0 0 '00 1 0 0 1 '01 0 0 1 1 '02 0 0 0 0 '03 1 0 1 2 '04 1 0 1 2 '05 0 0 1 1 '06 2 2 1 5 '07 2 2 2 6 '08 15 1 10 26 '09 30 7 23 60 '10 30 3 16 49 '11 17 7 14 38 '12 5 3 14 22 '13 9 4 4 17 Figure 1. SG coverage in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), USA Today (USAT) and New York Times (NYT) newspapers from 1998-2013. POLICY DOCUMENT ANALYSIS Transmission and Distribution Storage Energy Efficiency Demand Side Management Distributed Generation Meter Renewable Generation Non Renewable Generation Technological Social Context Renewables Sensors, Protection, IT & Communication Technologies Motivations Standards and Policies Political Health and Safety Environmental Economic Electric Vehicles Cultural Consumer Load Appliances Consumer Interface Tools TECHNOLOGY Consumer Interface Tools Consumer Load Appliances Electric Vehicles Renewable NYISO CAISO Low ERCOT Medium High MISO NEISO 0 5 10 15 0 5 10 15 20 0 5 IT and Communmications Meters 10 15 20 Storage 0 5 10 15 20 Transmission & Distribution NYISO CAISO Low ERCOT Medium High MISO NEISO 0 5 10 15 20 0 5 10 15 20 0 5 10 15 20 0 5 10 15 20 Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) In the Midwest, we've got a pretty vast majority of our states are regulated. There are vertically integrated companies, so demand response is a challenge for it to take hold. I think there's great opportunity there, but it's hard to get to the end game. MISO Focus Group participant Because we are as an ISO, we’re subject to the state rule, but at the same time, we are subject to FERC. We are regulated by FERC. So, there is also this coordination between FERC rulings and as well as the state ruling, which sometimes becomes very challenging and time consuming. -Focus Group participant We're going to be running very thin on our reserve margins, which is the difference between the generation that we have to serve the load and the load forecast for the next decade…They're looking up policy options for how to fix that problem, and this could be the one. -Focus Group participant The FAMOUS CA ISO Duck Diagram FOCUS GROUPS: SMART GRID CONVERSATIONS 54 Focus Groups 7 States >300 Participants • Investor Owned Utilities (IOUs) • Munis/Co-ops • ISO/RTOs • Consumer/Non Profit • Academics/Techies • State Regulatory/PUCs • Environmental Groups Different actors have different Smart Grid priorities/perspectives Key Actors Priorities & Perspectives Consumers Reliability, low-rates, limited influence Government (National, Regional, State, Local) Jurisdictionally complex regulation Private Sector Accountable to shareholders Electric Utilities Maintaining reliable service, responding to consumers Technology companies Innovative & entrepreneurial Environmental advocates Low carbon shift & renewable energy, local land use Energy system researchers Technologically optimistic EXTENSIVE SET OF FOCUS GROUPS FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS “What do you think are the most relevant (a) opportunities and (b) challenges associated with Smart Grid?” “From your perspective, who are the most important players associated with Smart Grid?” “What, if any, contributions do you think Smart Grid may offer to sustainable development? energy security?” “How do you think energy policy has influenced implementation of Smart Grid?” “Do you see Smart Grid contributing to the mitigation of climate change?” Storm Sandy Questions: How do you think Hurricane Sandy has changed awareness about energy systems? How do you thin Hurricane Sandy has changed awareness about climate change preparedness? SUPERSTORM SANDY – OCT (28-30) 2012 $65.6 billion estimated cost NASA GEOS-13 View, October 28, 2012 Cover page. Bloomberg Businessweek. November 1, 2012. Collins, R. Feldspausch, A. Stephens, JC, Electricity System Planning Post-Superstorm Sandy: Analysis of Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Discourse • - In preparation for Climatic Change • Adaptation: • Reliability • Resilience • Restoration • Mitigation: • Alternative Energy Strategies • Decreased Emissions and Environmental Benefits • Demand Management/Demand Response “I feel like that is -- one of my biggest problems with the smart grid is that the smart grid means whatever you want it to mean. It’s like 40 different technologies, right?” • How is Smart Grid defined? • What is the vision for Smart Grid? • How is it framed by social systems (SPEED)? • What is the tone of the Smart Grid conversation? IN PROGRESS • Stephens, JC, EJ Wilson, TR Peterson. Forthcoming. Power Struggles: The Promises and Pitfalls of Smart Grid. Cambridge University Press. Publication in fall 2014. • Langheim, R, M Skubel, X Chen, W Maxwell, TR Peterson, EJ Wilson, JC Stephens. (Revision just submitted) Smart Grid in the News: U.S. Policy & Conversations. The Electricity Journal. • Stephens, J., E. Wilson and T. Peterson (in press). "Socio-Political Evaluation of Energy Deployment (SPEED): A Framework Applied to Smart Grid." UCLA Law Review. • Eagles, J. Strubb, A. Slayton, R, Stephens, JC, Feldspauch-Parker, A. Peterson, T. Wilson, EJ. Regional Transmission Organizations Getting Smart(er): Grid modernization and Sociotechnical transformation • Strubb, A. Media Analysis of Newspapers, Popular Science, and Techie Magazines • Collins, R. Feldspausch, A. Stephens, JC, Electricity System Planning Post-Superstorm Sandy: Analysis of Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Discourse. In preparation for Climatic Change ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS • Our research team • Adrienne Strubb, Ryan Collins, Julia Eagles, Andrea Feldspausch-Parker, Melissa Skubel, Lauren Zeimer, Ria Langheim, Clark Koenigs, Mudita Suri Funding US National Science Foundation Science, Technology and Society Program NSF-SES 1127697 NSF RAPID Grant Science, Technology & Society (NSF-SES 1316442)