Collaborative Approaches to Rural Electric Strategies with Load
North Carolina State University, the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (with the Electric Cooperative Innovation Center), and the Smart Electric Power Alliance, have received a three-year research grant from the Sloan Foundation. The study’s research question is, “How do electric co-ops adapt to and plan for unprecedented load growth and management?” The proposed study focuses on national data as well as three case studies (to be identified) on generation and transmission (G&T) cooperatives and their member-owners.
Scope of Research
The project will focus on four themes of research, with four related streams of work:
Theme 1: Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Load Growth. We will identify spatial patterns of load growth across the United States linked to the service areas of electric cooperatives using utility and demographic data to characterize areas primed for future growth.
Theme 2: Load Growth Strategies in Co-Op Service Areas. We will use utility documents such as integrated resource plans, long-range plans, and construction work plans to identify the national strategies being adopted by co-ops for managing load growth.
Theme 3: Utility Preference and Decision-making at the System-Scale. We will run specialized focus groups to engage member co-op executives, staff, and directors to brainstorm strategies for meeting large loads. We plan to conduct these focus groups within the membership of at least three G&T cooperative families (to be identified).
Theme 4: Governance for Integrated Planning. We will interview representatives from G&T co-ops on their challenges and preferences for load growth and management strategies identified from the prior themes.
