As Maine utilities set out a 10-year vision for the future of the electric grid, they will be guided by some new directives from state regulators.
The Maine Public Utilities Commission announced the set of priorities this week after a long development process that involved state regulators and advocates, environmental groups and the electric companies themselves.
Chairman Phil Bartlett said the grid plans should make clear how the utilities will improve reliability and resiliency in a cost-effective way. Regulators also want utilities to make more data available that will help in public efforts to electrify transportation and heating.
"And then thirdly, we really need to promote flexible management of sort of supply and demand in the system," Bartlett said. "And that's making sure that there are opportunities for EVs, for example, to charge when there's plentiful, inexpensive renewables, and not be charging during the peak times, which are the most expensive."
Bartlett said in the past, utilities traditionally planned with their own needs in mind.
"Now we're having a lot of folks looking to interconnect distributed energy resources, like EVs, like solar panels, like battery storage, and we need to make sure that the grid can accommodate those," he said. "We also are expecting really significant changes, both in the generation side, bringing out more renewables, and on the demand side, as we electrify heating and transportation."
The new grid plans, required by a state law passed two years ago, are due in January 2026.
