Related Projects

Integrated Strategic System Planning

Many companies are recognizing the limitations of existing planning processes and tools for addressing the complex challenges faced by electric power companies in an evolving power system. Optimizing investment decisions to achieve decarbonization, renewables and distributed energy resources integration, electrification, and resiliency objectives requires processes and tools that evaluate resources across the electric value chain and other energy sectors in the context of changing climate and resiliency hazards. In response, EPRI launched a Board Initiative in 2020 on Integrated Strategic System Planning (ISSP) to develop a tool agnostic framework for linking various planning analyses across generation, transmission, and distribution to develop more holistic, cost-effective resource portfolios. The initiative developed the framework, demonstrated its efficacy on a practical power system and provided insights on adopting based on a utility’s need.

Climate Resilience and Adaption Initiative (READI)

As extreme events impacting the power system increase in frequency a common approach to assess and manage climate risks is required across the power sector. In 2022, EPRI launched the Climate REsilience and Adaptation Initiative (READi). Climate READi is aimed at developing a broadly accepted common framework that provides energy companies, regulators, policymakers, and other industry stakeholders a science-based approach for capturing and assessing climate risks across the power system. Research and development from multiple TOP projects has been leveraged and developed key aspects of the READi framework. Capacity expansion, resource adequacy, and transmission operations and planning methods and processes have been integrated with climate data and asset vulnerability models to begin to evaluate extreme events. The TOP team participated in industry workshops and conferences discussing research innovations, as well as supporting multiple deliverables for READi. TOP continued to play a critical role in 2024 as work accelerates and READi pushes toward completion in early 2025.