Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Smart Grids:

Report on US Focus Groups

Jennie StephensClark University

Elizabeth WilsonUniversity of Minnesota

May 7, 2014

Regional

Transmission

Organization

Jurisdiction CustomersGeneration

capacity

Miles of Transmission

Lines

ISO-NE Multi-state 14 million 32,000 MW 8,130

MISO Multi-state 48 million205,759 MW

65,250

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 Five States

ISO-NE Massachusetts, Vermont

MISO Minnesota, Illinois

ERCOT Texas

CA-ISO California

NY-ISO 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 Socio-technical transformation

• Strubb, A. Media Analysis of Newspapers, Popular Science, and Techie Magazines

• Collins, R. Feldspausch, A. Stephens, JC, Electricity System Planning Post-SuperstormSandy: 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.

Figure 1. SG coverage in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), USA Today (USAT) and New York Times

(NYT) newspapers from 1998-2013.

'98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13

WSJ 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 2 2 15 30 30 17 5 9

USAT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 7 3 7 3 4

NYT 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 2 10 23 16 14 14 4

Total 1 0 1 1 0 2 2 1 5 6 26 60 49 38 22 17

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Nu

mb

er o

f A

rti

cles

POLICY DOCUMENT ANALYSIS

Techno

logies

Transmission and Distribution

Storage

Sensors, Protection, IT & Communication

Meter

Renewable Generation

Non Renewable Generation

Electric Vehicles

Consumer Load Appliances

Consumer Interface Tools

Social C

ontext

Technological

Political

Health and Safety

Environmental

Economic

Cultural

Motivations

Standards and Policies

Renewables

Energy Efficiency

Demand Side Management

Distributed Generation

0 5 10 15

NEISO

MISO

ERCOT

CAISO

NYISO

Consumer Interface Tools

0 5 10 15 20

Consumer Load Appliances

0 5 10 15 20

Electric Vehicles

0 5 10 15 20

Renewable

Low

Medium

High

0 5 10 15 20

NEISO

MISO

ERCOT

CAISO

NYISO

Meters

0 5 10 15 20

IT and Communmications

0 5 10 15 20

Storage

0 5 10 15 20

Transmission & Distribution

Low

Medium

High

TECHNOLOGY

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

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

Different actors have different

Smart Grid priorities/perspectives

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

NASA GEOS-13 View, October 28, 2012 Cover page. Bloomberg Businessweek. November 1, 2012.

$65.6 billion estimated cost

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 Socio-technical transformation

• Strubb, A. Media Analysis of Newspapers, Popular Science, and Techie Magazines

• Collins, R. Feldspausch, A. Stephens, JC, Electricity System Planning Post-SuperstormSandy: Analysis of Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Discourse. In preparation for Climatic Change

• 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)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS