Grid operators have historically forecast demand and scheduled generation to meet that demand. But new technologies allow us to use flexible renewable resources and flexible load to ensure that demand and supply stay in balance. The flexibility that these technologies provide allows for a lower-cost and lower-emission power sector. It also enables the cost-effective integration of new electric loads, like electrified transportation, water heating, and space conditioning.

In a roundtable webinar on February 5, Jim Lazar, Carl Linvill, David Littell, Jessica Shipley, and moderator David Farnsworth discussed the opportunities that flexible resources provide to the power system, the barriers to realizing flexibility, and what regulators can do to unleash its benefits.