Electricity Resource Planning and Procurement

States commonly use electricity resource planning and procurement policies to ensure utilities plan to safely and reliability meet future customer electricity demand at fair and reasonable rates. The State Energy and Environment Guide to Action: Electricity Resource Planning and Procurement report is an EPA resource capturing best practices to help states encourage clean energy and energy equity in planning and procurement processes, and support utilities’ needs for more complex supply- and demand-side planning analyzes and tools. Abt provided research and technical support to EPA on this and other chapters in the Guide to Action series.

The Electricity Resource Planning and Procurement chapter of the Guide describes planning models, strategies, and considerations that some states and utilities incorporate in their planning processes, such as integrated resource planning, integrated distribution planning, resilience planning, and procurement of storage and non-wires alternatives. States have found that approaches that emphasize renewables and demand-side resources can help reduce peak demand and air emissions, and improve grid flexibility and customer bill affordability. The chapter also includes policy examples and actionable insight for policy makers, government agencies, utilities, and community advocates as states update their planning and procurement policies and design inclusive stakeholder engagement processes.

Abt Global supported these additional chapters of the EPA Guide to Action:

• Electric Utility Regulatory Frameworks and Financial Incentives
• Interconnection and Net Metering
• Energy Efficiency Programs and Resource Standards
• Customer Rates and Data Access 
• Maximizing Grid Investments