Policy Options for Better Service Outcomes from the Future Electric Grid

On October 30, 2015, the Pardee RAND Graduate School convened an invite-only event for leaders from industry, government, and consumer organizations to explore questions confronting the current and future electric power system. This group comprised six Pardee RAND faculty members, four Pardee RAND students, and seven outside attendees from a range of sectors, including local research institutes, the Electric Power Research Institute, an electric service provider, and the renewable energy industry. This proceedings document consolidates the notes from this stakeholder symposium.

This first convening was intended to begin to scope important policy questions related to the present and future electric power system among a small group of stakeholders. Specifically, the participants discussed and explored: (1) vision and key drivers of innovation in the electric power grid, (2) barriers to change, and implementation pathways and solutions to barriers, and (3) key policy questions and opportunities for analysis.

The convening, along with this summarizing document, is intended to be a starting point for an ongoing dialogue with RAND and a broader range of stakeholders. The meeting was not intended to capture all stakeholder perspectives, but to start a dialogue with key public- and private-sector leaders. It was also not intended to provide definite answers to technical and policy questions, but to identify the most important topics and issues for further analysis and consensus building. Themes reported in this document are not meant to be either comprehensive or definitive, but rather to document the discussion and raise ideas for future exploration and examination.