Arizona Commissioner Proposes Topics, Workshops for Docket Addressing Changes to Utility Model due to Technological Innovation

Arizona Corporation Commissioner Bob Burns has suggested a series of workshops and topics to be addressed in a docket addressing potential impacts to the current utility model resulting from innovation and technological developments in generation and delivery of energy (Docket E-00000J-13-0375).

The docket was opened in the wake of the ACC's decision to close its investigation of retail electric choice, due to its lack of constitutional authority to implement retail choice.

In a memo, Burns said that the workshops will review, for a series of issues noted below, "[b]usiness and regulatory impacts such as the need for smart grid to realize benefits, changes in market structures, system operations and planning, rate designs, and regulatory policies resulting from or needed to facilitate the adoption of the technology or innovation."

The issues proposed to be covered in the docket include:

• Distributed Supply and Storage Resources Enabling Customer Self-supply: includes any distributed supply resources (solar technologies, fuel cell, etc.); distributed storage devices (battery, flywheel, thermal storage, etc.); and customer shared generation (virtual net metering, etc. (excludes rate design issues being dealt with in Docket No. E-01345A-13-0248).

• Customer Load Management Technology, Energy Efficiency, Major New Loads and Related Services: includes customer energy information systems, demand controllers, real-time pricing controls, plug-in electric vehicles, demand response, and alternative service arrangements for customer energy management, etc.

• Utility-Scale Storage Technology: includes pumped storage (hydro, compressed air) battery, flywheel, etc.

• Metering Technology & Services: includes electronic meters, communication systems (one-way, two-way, real-time), alternative arrangements for meter reading, meter services, and meter data management, etc. (excludes health and privacy issues being dealt with in Docket No. E00000C-11-0328).

• Transmission and Distribution Automation: includes improved real-time information access for situational awareness, real-time physical monitoring and manual control, automated technologies for system self-healing, etc.

• Micro-Grids: includes grid-tied and isolated