Green Mountain Power’s Long-Term Plan Calls for Seamless Grid Integration of Distributed Resources

Green Mountain Power Corporation proposed to focus on transitioning to a highly distributed system while continuing its strategic efforts to electrify transportation, heating, and fossil fuel processes, in its 2018 integrated resource plan filed with the Vermont Public Utility Commission on March 6. The 10-year plan underscores the company’s declining electric demand as customers look to install their own systems and utilize improvements in efficiency and appliance standards.

Resource additions in the company’s preferred portfolio include:

• Distributed resources to meet Tier II or new resource requirements in the renewable portfolio standard (RPS).
• A mix of hydropower and offshore wind in the 2020s that would supply RPS Tier I needs and offer seasonal output plus diversity, respectively.
• Energy storage and flexible resources in the range of 50 megawatts to 100 megawatts support the increasingly renewable energy supply.
• Continued optimization of the company’s existing fleet of peaking and mid-base load generation facilities, so as to keep the overall portfolio costs low.
• Layered short-term purchases of energy and capacity to tackle market price volatility.
• Green Mountain Power Corporation operates as a subsidiary of Northern New England Energy Corporation.