In Minnesota, utilities and regulators plan for the grid of the future

Midwest Energy News: Minnesota regulators recently heard proposals from Xcel Energy to introduce a sophisticated new electric grid software platform and to build an energy storage system instead of a substation.

The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) certified the need for the $27 million software platform while requesting more information on the storage project to determine whether it would be a good deal for ratepayers. The commission requires Xcel to file the modernization plans.

PUC chair Nancy Lange said she’s “intrigued” by the utility’s two proposals, and points out Xcel has argued an “advanced distribution management system” (ADMS) will be a key to quicker responses to outages, handling peak demands and other challenges.

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