Contact: Regina Davis, 202-898-9382, rdavis@naruc.org
Lisa Tran McKee, 310-266-3283, lisa.mckee@utilligent.com

NARUC Releases National Survey Results Pointing to an Evolving Energy Industry

WASHINGTON (November 19, 2019) — The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, in partnership with management consulting firm Utilligent, has released the results of their recently completed joint survey of NARUC membership. The survey focused on issues related to distributed energy resources, energy efficiency, demand response and the future of central station generation and was conducted from April to June 2019.

“The goal of this survey was to take the pulse of our membership on a range of issues currently impacting the electric industry,” said NARUC President Nick Wagner, a member of the Iowa Utilities Board. “It’s all here in the results, which provide a national collection of regulatory insights on some of the most pressing issues facing utilities, with links to policy, state regulations and individual programs.”

Key findings indicate an increasing focus on digital and grid edge services that are certain to profoundly change energy delivery and the utility business model, including:

• Five and ten-year assessment indicates less photovoltaic and more utility-scale solar growth.
• Ten-year view suggests central station generation to remain dominant across the nation.
• Net metering likely to be replaced by locational valuation to create equitable, sustainable valuation.
• The presence of significant data and learning gaps to properly value and effectively integrate DERs.
• Transportation electrification and storage are poised to be the next big policy and regulatory challenges.

“Policy and cost are the primary drivers for change, regulations can be the brakes or the accelerator, according to responses from the commissioners,” said Utilligent Executive Vice President of Strategy and Transformation Meir Shargal. “Looking at the issues facing the industry through the eyes of those who must regulate them is an excellent way for stakeholders to think about the range of possibilities.”

An executive summary is attached and a detailed study based on the survey responses can be downloaded at utilligent.com/publications/. Questions about the survey and the findings should be directed to Roy Ellis, 303-434-8045, roy.ellis@utilligent.com.

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About NARUC

NARUC is a non-profit organization founded in 1889 whose members include the governmental agencies that are engaged in the regulation of utilities and carriers in the fifty States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. NARUC's member agencies regulate telecommunications, energy, and water utilities. NARUC represents the interests of State public utility commissions before the three branches of the Federal government.

About Utilligent

Utilligent is an operations and technology management consulting firm guiding some of the largest utilities in North America and beyond, from strategy through implementation with extensive expertise in the electric, gas, and water industries. Key engagements include two of the largest advanced metering infrastructure implementations (10 million meters), and the largest pipeline integrity project in the U.S. A global company headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, go to utilligent.com for more information.