DOE and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab Launch Website for Integrated Distribution Grid Planning

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Electricity (OE) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) launched an interactive website and repository that conveys a framework for Integrated Distribution System Planning (IDSP) with links to current and emerging practices. The website is intended to provide state decision-makers and utilities a holistic planning approach for making informed investment decisions for the electric distribution grid.

Decisions regarding investments in grid infrastructure are becoming highly complex due to evolving community and state priorities, explosive and unanticipated growth due to electrification and the emergence of data centers, and the evolution of new services from assets at the grid edge. IDSP is becoming a useful framework for examining these factors holistically and for setting long-term, electric grid investment strategies with inputs and review from key stakeholders.

DOE-OE and LBNL have worked together for several years with state offices and utilities to advance IDSP practices through the development of guidelines and by providing training and technical assistance. The IDSP framework website complements these efforts and will serve as a library of information which will be continuously updated and revised.

This IDSP Framework includes:

• Holistic Planning Approach: Examines complex factors holistically to inform long-term investment strategies.
• Stakeholder Input: Integrates insights from key stakeholders, including state officials and utilities.
• Interactive Website: LBNL launched an interactive website and repository, linked to the OE website, showcasing the IDSP framework and best practices for 17 critical components.

For more information, visit the Distribution Grid Transformation | Department of Energy website.

Learn more about OE.