Voices of Experience
Decarbonization Strategies and Grid Planning

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Electricity launched the Voices of Experience Initiative to capture the experiences, insights and lessons learned from the utilities at the forefront of implementing emerging technologies. DOE has teamed with the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) to bring you Voices of Experience | Decarbonization Strategies and Grid Planning.

Utilities across the U.S. are announcing carbon reduction goals with increasing frequency. Some are mandated and others are voluntary; most are ambitious. According to SEPA’s Carbon Reduction Tracker, 82% of US customer accounts are served by utilities with carbon reduction goals with 79% having 100% carbon reduction as their goal. There is no universal blueprint for reducing carbon in energy systems. A carbon reduction plan must be tailored to a utility’s capabilities, its market, and geographical location.

Topics to Address:

• Carbon reduction terminology
• Enabling technology to leverage customer-owned generation and storage
• Holistic resource planning
• Role of electrification in carbon reduction strategies
• Grid upgrades to enable system decarbonization and increased penetration of intermittent resources
• Innovations and emerging clean energy technologies
• Energy equity strategies in decarbonization goals and strategies

Upcoming Events:

•  Summer Series Virtual Discussions Register Here
  • Demand Side Management, Customer Programs, and Decarbonization on July 9th, 2024
  • Rate Design Guiding Principles for Decarbonization Initiatives on July 23rd, 2024
  • Load Growth and Decarbonization on August 20th, 2024

Past Events

• “Utility Carbon Reduction Strategies Across the United States” at DistribuTECH International on February 26, 2024. – Learn more
• Workshop on “Cost Implications and Rate Impacts of Utility Decarbonization” at SEPA’s Energy Evolution Summit on May 1, 2024. – Learn more
• Workshop on “Electrification and Decarbonization” at EPRI’s Infrastructure Working Council Conference on June 13th, 2024.

Voices of Experience | Decarbonization Strategies and Grid Planning Publications:

• Decoding Decarbonization: A Utility Handbook – Utility Decarbonization Target Terminology
• Decoding Decarbonization: A Utility Handbook 
• Technical Briefing | Grid Planning in Uncertainty
• Technical Briefing | Cost Implications and Rate Impacts of Utility Decarbonization