The background: In April, Virginia enacted a first-of-its kind law requiring Dominion and Appalachian Power to report metrics on their grid utilization.
With those numbers in hand, state regulators will gauge how these companies can benefit from distributed energy resources (and avoid unnecessary infrastructure upgrades).The numbers: In accordance with that law, Dominion recently shared some key stats with the VA State Corporation Commission. Annually, the company is harnessing 41% of its distribution capacity and a median 33% of its transmission capacity.
Dominion’s data highlights how “the grid is lightly used most hours and tight in specific places at specific times,” energy entrepreneur Jigar Shah explained on LinkedIn. Going forward, more in-depth reporting from Dominion will “show whether off-peak headroom can connect new loads faster and ease pressure on rates.”