Flexible Interconnection: A New Paradigm?

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

2:30 PM – 3:30 PM PDT

Location: Veronese 2501B, Level 2, The Venetian

Learning Level 301: Applies to those with substantial knowledge of the topic and seeking the most up-to-date information to heighten expertise.

Many developers have faced the dilemma of a potentially great project being derailed by a huge interconnection upgrade cost. Today's interconnection approach requires the grid to be able to handle 100% of a system's power output in every hour of the year, so even a handful of hours that trigger criteria violations can require expensive upgrades. Flexible interconnection has presented itself as an option as developers navigate issues with interconnection, allowing stakeholders to utilize existing grid capacity and agreeing to a certain level of curtailment to avoid expensive upgrades. Still, the utilization of flexible interconnection may remain unproven and remains controversial in the US, but has been successfully implemented in the United Kingdom for years. During this session, speakers will discuss the merits and potential of flexible interconnection. What are the pros and cons of flexible interconnection? How does it compare to the traditional paradigm? Join this group of experts as they compare flexible and traditional interconnection.

Learning Objectives:

Explore the concept of flexible interconnection as an alternative approach to address these challenges and enable the utilization of existing grid capacity while accepting a certain level of curtailment
Compare the pros and cons of flexible interconnection with the traditional paradigm, considering factors such as cost-effectiveness, grid resilience, and project viability
Examine real-world case studies and best practices from the UK to understand the practical implications and outcomes of utilizing flexible interconnection

Moderator(s)

Ed Brolin

Vice President, Policy Development & Distributed Government Relations
RWE Clean Energy
Valhalla, New York, United States

PDF Slides

Panelist(s)

Brian Lydic (he/him/his)

Chief Regulatory Engineer
IREC
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
David Mindham

Director, Regulatory and Market Affairs
EDP Renewables
Northville, Michigan, United States
Kavita Ravi

Vice President, Grid Integration
BlueWave Energy
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Erik Felt

Executive, North America
Smarter Grid Solutions
Bayfield, Wisconsin, United States