Abstract: In the coming months and years, expect an increasing number of utility regulatory commissions to begin ruling on third-party access to utility data — several state orders are currently examining the implications of making utility data more accessible to third parties and customers. Some states are going further and broadening the data pool to include more than just customer-metered end-use data but grid hosting data as well. Utility regulatory commissions should follow suit to encourage customer adoption, improve the marketing and sales of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and other energy solutions to help states reach their net-zero carbon goals — though national and state initiatives to democratize data have had mixed reviews, from complete abandonment to growing adoption.
