Designing a Policy Roadmap to a Clean Resilient Grid
A proposed framework for policymakers to set their state on a path towards a resilient electrical system
The increasing dependence on electricity leaves us more vulnerable than ever to power outages. But outages are actually increasing both in frequency and duration, a consequence of both neglecting our electrical grid and the advent of more frequent and intense climate-driven heat waves, wildfires, and extreme weather.
Fortunately, clean resilience solutions exist and are already protecting communities across the nation. Through study and pilot programs, states and cities vulnerable to outages have demonstrated the ability of solar-plus-storage technology to provide safe, clean, and continuous backup power following natural disasters and outages. Far superior to diesel generators in many ways, solar-plus-storage can also provide year-round economic benefits to energy consumers and the grid.
The technology for tomorrow’s clean, resilient grid is here today. It’s time for policymakers to urgently declare a proactive vision for their state’s electricity system and issue a policy roadmap for achieving it. While each state’s specific resilience needs, policy challenges and opportunities are unique, all policy roadmaps will share a common structure and consider common design questions.
The following Policy Roadmap provides suggested templates for:
- a roadmap destination
- an equity framework
- component definitions
- an organizational approach to categorizing a wide range of resilience needs
- a methodology for valuing resilience
- five example policy timelines that outline approaches to kickstarting, supporting, and optimizing a sustainable market for resilience services that drive investment towards the roadmap destination
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