Dive Brief:

• The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is urging state regulators to study how distributed generation, energy storage and other emerging technologies can best be integrated onto the grid.
• State regulators will play a key role in placing a value on distributed generation and other technologies, according to EPRI, a research group funded by investor-owned utilities.
• EPRI issued a concept paper as a first step in addressing what the groups believes may be a major transformation of the grid system. "These systems can be complementary and not competitive if we acknowledge that both systems benefit the customers and integrating them will enhance the benefit to all customers, while failure to integrate fully could lead to higher costs and lower reliability,” Michael Howard, EPRI president and CEO, said.

Dive Insight:

The electric system is poised for major changes. EPRI's work will help inform the debate as the utility industry, regulators and other stakeholders hash out new policies around the “integrated grid,” state by state, grid operator by grid operator.