Dive Brief:

• District of Columbia stakeholders delivered on Friday a raft of grid modernization recommendations to regulators at the district's Public Service Commission (PSC), tackling issues from rate design and data access to non-wires alternatives (NWA) and microgrids.
• The stakeholder report, Modernizing the Energy Delivery System for Increased Sustainability (MEDSIS), completes the second phase of an initiative examining possible approaches Exelon subsidiary Potomac Electric Power (Pepco) could take in its D.C. territory.
• Regulators will hear public comment on the report at a June 13 meeting, and have promised to issue an order based on its conclusions within 60 days of receipt.

Dive Insight:

The MEDSIS report concludes a 10-month working group process designed to conclude with a clear direction on a range of topics, including enhanced distribution system planning, regulatory frameworks for for microgrids, new rate designs and enhanced customer engagement and education.

"Ending this process with actionable recommendations for the commission aligns with SEPA's commitment to helping drive regulatory innovation in the US," SEPA CIO Sharon Allan said in a statement. "We are working to guide the transition to a cleaner and smarter yet still safe, reliable and affordable power system."

The working group's recommendations include calling for the PSC to direct Pepco to move forward with a stakeholder-informed distribution system planning and a NWA consideration process, "with the understanding that the process will be iterative and evolving."

The non-profit organization told regulators to ​direct the utility to establish a customer microgrid schedule or tariffs, which could include fixed charges, time-of-use charges, volumetric charges, demand charges and payments/credits for export.

D.C. stakeholders also want to see regulators define and establish a new regulated entity of "microgrid operator," which would be any entity operating a microgrid serving multiple customers. The PSC "should decide what types of regulations need to be applied to microgrid operators," the report said.