Below is the paraphrased text:
The electric grid is on the cusp of a significant transformation, as grid-connected devices like smart thermostats, electric vehicles, battery storage, heat pumps, and solar panels are expected to nearly quadruple in the next few years. This revolution of connected devices requires proper planning by regulators and utilities to maximize customer benefits.
In Michigan, state regulators are urged to take a holistic and transparent approach to Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), considering its potential to unlock more Distributed Energy Resource (DER) deployments, enable virtual power plants, and improve grid reliability. However, Michigan's largest electric utilities, Consumers Energy and DTE, have deployed AMI to residential customers, but neither utility has a comprehensive plan to evaluate and adopt next-generation AMI.
The increasing complexity of the electric grid presents both a risk and an opportunity. With AMI, device owners can coordinate their electricity usage to reduce stress on the grid and earn savings on their monthly bills. Next-generation AMI can serve as the backbone of the modern decentralized grid, allowing utilities and customers to see in real-time how grid-connected devices impact the grid.
AMI with capabilities like edge computing allows for a more intelligent management of these resources, providing clean, low-cost power and other grid services. The Department of Energy recommends that any significant investment in advanced metering infrastructure should involve a long-term technology and functionality roadmap.
However, Michigan's utilities have argued against regulatory incentives or mandates that would push them toward enhancing AMI functionality for leveraging DERs more fully. Consumers Energy and DTE stated it was premature to consider AMI-related performance incentive mechanisms for DER integration.
Laura Sherman, the president of the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council, emphasizes the importance of regulators helping utilities answer questions about AMI's role in future grid complexity before they invest in new, costly technology.
An MPSC-ordered technical conference on AMI’s future is expected to initiate discussions that could inform utilities’ long-term strategies. The conference could provide a platform for utilities to discuss and develop comprehensive, forward-looking roadmaps for leveraging AMI to optimize DERs and grid-connected devices.
While utilities are modernizing grids with complementary technologies to improve resilience and operational efficiency, comprehensive AMI upgrade strategies remain underdeveloped. State regulators are encouraged to work with utilities to develop transparent, long-term AMI roadmaps that enable DER deployment, virtual power plants, and improved grid reliability.
In summary, Michigan utilities are at an early stage of addressing a long-term AMI roadmap tailored for DER and connected device optimization, with significant regulatory and strategic discussions forthcoming but no finalized or comprehensive approach currently implemented. The upcoming technical conference offers a promising step towards a more sustainable and efficient electric grid for Michigan's future.
[1] Michigan Public Service Commission [2] Consumers Energy [4] DTE Energy
