State-regulated transmission and distribution investments have traditionally been made with a goal of providing economic, reliable service that alleviates congestion, allows recovery from outages, and expands to meet new or growing loads. While these remain primary goals, states also are working to encourage investments that are planned and managed to increase system energy efficiency, anticipate growth in renewable resources, and deal with related issues of balancing utility revenue requirements with customer rates. This section of the Energy and Environment Guide to Action focuses on what states and public utility commissions (PUCs) are doing—primarily at the distribution level (i.e., actions that do not involve interstate transmission planning)—to realize clean energy benefits from the electric grid. 

• Chapter 7.5: Maximizing Grid Investments to Achieve Energy Efficiency and Improve Renewable Energy Integration (PDF)(27 pp, 1 MB)