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Partnership With Xcel Energy Reveals Solutions To Meet Needs of and Avoid Unnecessary Expenses for Grid Customers.
As demand for electricity in the United States grows and evolves, utilities need to continually analyze whether distribution infrastructure is up to the task. Strain on the power grid can risk transformer overloads and power outages and result in higher electricity costs if growing demand is not addressed—requiring utilities to make decisions balancing reliability, safety, and cost considerations.
Research conducted by the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) for large public-utility company Xcel Energy sought to identify solutions to mitigate costly grid upgrades by applying algorithms to balance electric loads in a way that preserves the same level of service and manages costs. While there are numerous drivers of electric load growth including data centers and artificial intelligence (AI), Xcel Energy noticed an increasing number of their customers were purchasing electric vehicles, triggering their need to plan for solutions that minimize and potentially even reverse adverse impacts of increased power demand by leveraging load flexibility.
