North Carolina Should Get with GETs

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January 16, 2025

By Nicholas Kiss 

Scrolling through recent headlines, it’s clear to see electricity demand is increasing rapidly across the country. With energy-intensive industries such as data centers experiencing explosive development, there is a growing urgency for more power generation to come online to support this demand. Clean energy is poised to help meet this need; however, the electric grid is currently unable to effectively interconnect all the clean generation resources that are needed to power this economic development. Luckily, there is a suite of readily available tools known as grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) that can help increase the capacity of existing transmission lines soon while allowing for new lines to be built in the long term. 

 

Grid-enhancing technologies, or GETs, are hardware or software that increase the capacity, reliability, efficiency, and safety of existing power lines. There are three main types of GETs: dynamic line ratings, advanced power flow control, and topology optimization.  

 

Here is a breakdown of what these GETs do: 

 

  • Dynamic line ratings are a valuable tool for the grid and are commonly referenced in relation to GETs due to their ability to upgrade transmission line capacity affordably and quickly by providing greater transparency about grid assets. More specifically, dynamic line ratings leverage current and forecasted line conditions to calculate how much power transmission lines can transport. 
  • Advanced power flow control is another type of GET that manages power flows on the grid by ensuring that individual lines can reliably deliver power. 
  • Similarly, topology optimization improves existing transmission capacity by exerting more control over the power flow on the grid. Topology optimization is software that provides insight into the grid’s network and power flow conditions so grid operators can automatically reroute power flow away from congested transmission areas and maximize efficiency.

 

GETs are cost-effective, timely technologies that can be used to improve transmission line capacity at a rapid pace. GETs often pay for themselves within six months due to their ability to decrease grid congestion and enable increased uptake of low-cost clean energy sources. The North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) recently acted to advance the deployment of GETs in North Carolina. In the latest Carbon Plan Integrated Resource Plan (CPIRP) order, the NCUC called for Duke Energy to produce a GETs report in subsequent iterations of this proceeding. This report must include:

 

  • A description of GETs that have been deployed on Duke’s systems at the time of the filing; 
  • A description of GETs under development at the time of the filing; 
  • A summary of the costs and benefits of GETs that Duke has already deployed and are under development; and 
  • An explanation of Duke’s decision to not implement any GETs that it evaluated.

 

Given this language, the Commission clearly recognizes the importance of improving the interconnection process by using GETs. The Commision even explicitly stated that the “value of creative solutions” such as GETs can “help alleviate transmission constraints.” However, the Commission also said in the Carbon Plan that there are concerns about the long-term feasibility of GETs that could introduce operational complexity. Further, the NCUC echoes that GETs adoption is not the definitive answer to load growth and avoiding clean energy generation curtailment, but rather “one of many tools available” for transmission providers. For this reason, it is the perfect time to explore and learn more about what GETs are and how these technologies can be helpful in North Carolina. The primary venue for GETs in the state is Duke Energy’s Multi-Value Strategic Transmission Planning process, which provides a space for consideration of comments on transmission system needs and potential solutions. 

 

Now that the Commission has taken this unprecedented step of requiring Duke Energy to proactively incorporate GETs into its resource planning, it is important to understand efforts to advance GETs across the country. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently produced a case study assessing ratepayer impacts associated with the adoption of GETs. The study analyzed three scenarios in New York:  

 

  • A base case of the current generation mix, 
  • A case in which all clean energy generation from the interconnection queue is added to the system, and 
  • A case which requires the generation mix to reach 70% clean energy by 2030.  

 

The study compared these three scenarios against themselves with and without GETs. The DOE found that GETs adoption allowed transmission lines to reach their full potential compared to using traditional static line ratings. Since dynamic line ratings identify opportunities to improve transmission ratings from the baseline static line rating, this study showed how GETs can avoid overloading transmission lines and enable greater line safety and reliability. 

 

In terms of federal action to advance GETs, there are ongoing efforts to improve the grid being considered by Congress and by DOE. The Advancing GETs Act of 2024 is a proposed bill that would require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to establish a savings incentive that would be shared between GETs developers and ratepayers. This incentive would allow a developer to recoup the cost of a project and split the associated cost savings with ratepayers. If passed, this legislation could help drive adoption of GETs on a massive scale. Additionally, DOE has become more involved in promoting GETs through offering grants as part of the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program. This program is funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and is one of the federal government’s largest investments in critical grid infrastructure. 

  

In North Carolina, there are several GETs projects proposed or under development. As part of DOE’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program, Duke Energy was also recently awarded $57 million in cost-share funding to reconstruct a transmission line in eastern North Carolina. Not only will this grant allow Duke Energy to rebuild a 40-mile transmission line spanning Wake, Johnston, and Wayne counties, but it will also create an estimated 550 jobs and improve reliability for approximately 14,000 customers. A portion of the award money will be used to establish workforce development programs at Nash Community College and North Carolina A&T State University. This project highlights the potential benefits of improving the grid within North Carolina, including expanding access to several clean energy sources. If GETs are implemented alongside the construction of new transmission lines, North Carolina can fully realize its potential for solar development in eastern North Carolina and other clean energy sources across other regions of the state. 

 

While it is vital to continue planning for new transmission capacity, GETs can be implemented simultaneously to maximize and help bridge gaps in our transmission system prompted by new demand growth and clean energy development. GETs are better able to examine current weather conditions to calculate thermal transmission line limits that are more precise than traditional measures. This creates significant reliability, economic, and safety benefits for both ratepayers and transmission providers. Instead of creating operational complexity, GETs instead provide a crucial interim solution to improve the overall efficiency of the grid. Given the sheer size of the task of creating additional transmission capacity across the country, energy utilities and utility regulators should utilize all available pathways to plan for an efficient and reliable electric grid. 

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