About the Future Grid Accelerator

Transformational Context

Around the world, GW-scale power systems are experiencing profound transformation, from a supply-side dominant past to a future that is increasingly hybridised.

This is a transformational context where:

  • Generation is increasingly provided by diverse sources including centralised and distributed, fossil fuel and variable renewable, dispatchable and non-dispatchable sources;

  • Customer participation in producing, storing and trading electricity is increasing, and this is reshaping load profiles and wider system requirements; and,

  • At the same time, concerns about social equity and the ability of all to participate in all aspects of the future energy system are increasing.

As GW-scale power systems decarbonise, they experience far greater operational volatility. This is further compounded by the withdrawal of ‘synchronous’ generation which has traditionally provided essential services and the ‘dispatchability’ required to constantly balance supply and demand.

Creating the Future Grids we need

Originally designed as unidirectional, linear supply chains, the operation of conventional power systems has commonly involved several functional ‘siloes’.  For example, many wholesale market professionals have required limited or no interaction with the distribution system, and vice versa. 

 

By contrast, to remain secure and cost-effective, the physics-based dynamics now impacting our power systems will require them to operate in a far more inter-dependent manner end-to-end.  In other words, bulk power, transmission and distribution systems – and the expanding fleet of distributed resources – will need to be capable of functioning together as an integrated and self-balancing system.

A resource for advancing multi-stakeholder collaboration

Advancing this scale of transformation while also ‘keeping the lights on’ is a highly complex undertaking that spans numerous disciplines and industry segments. It will also require the involvement of both technical and non-technical stakeholders, and new ways of thinking and working together that are more holistic, inclusive and integrative.

The Future Grid Accelerator (FGA) has been developed as a pro bono collaboration between Energy Catalyst and the Pacific Energy Institute. It provides the global sector a free resource to help accelerate holistic grid transformations by supporting multi-stakeholder collaboration that achieves:

  • Greater clarity of communication;

  • Reduced potential for stakeholder conflict;

  • Enhanced trust and faster convergence;

  • Higher quality trade-off decisions; and,

  • Better outcomes for customers and society.

Future Grid Accelerator FAQ

How was the Future Grid Accelerator was developed?

FGA Release 1.0 includes a world-first repository of over 200 key concepts and terms that are relevant to understanding conventional, transforming and future electric power systems. 

The content is informed by numerous international sources which are outlined on the White Papers & Reference Sources page.  Where possible, several sources have been compared and contrasted by the Key Contributors to enhance its international relevance and convey it in accessible language.

What is the status of the Future Grid Accelerator content?

The Future Grid Accelerator is a free global resource designed to support multi-stakeholder collaboration.   The content has no official or authoritative status. 

As the topic of future power systems is evolving rapidly, the FGA resource has the status of a perpetual BETA version status and is subject to ongoing review and update. 

Please refer to the Terms of Use for further detail.

What can I do if gaps or inaccuracies are identified?

As a perpetual BETA version, Energy Catalyst and the Pacific Energy Institute expect that there will be gaps and inaccuracies contained in the FGA content.

Therefore, as a shared global resource, the FGA platform provides multiple ways for users to provide constructive feedback on the content which will be considered for inclusion in subsequent updates.

Will the Future Grid Accelerator continue to be developed?

Yes.  The current version is Release 1.0 with a focus on key concepts and terminology.  Energy Catalyst and the Pacific Energy Institute plan for subsequent releases to provide an expanding selection of world-leading content from many diverse sources for informing collaborative and intelligent grid transformation.

What other things should I know about the FGA content?

The Future Grid Accelerator is an evolving resource for a transforming sector.  It does not attempt to ‘be all things to all people’.  

Users should be aware of the following design considerations that differentiate it as a resource.  The FGA resource:

 

  • Is oriented toward a whole-system view of GW-scale power system transformation that includes, but is not limited to, any one individual segment;

 

  • Applies a technology-agnostic approach which recognises that a diverse range of technologies and approaches may be applied to achieve deeply decarbonised grids in different jurisdictions;

 

  • Aims at balanced treatment of each topic, conveyed in terms accessible to a diversity of stakeholders (which, by definition, means the content will not be exhaustive);

 

  • Recognises the need for concepts and terms that relate to different time horizons of grid transformation, specifically conventional, transforming and future power systems; and,

 

  • Most importantly, the FGA assumes that customers and societies are the fundamental reason for, and the key beneficiaries of, why power systems exist and need to transform.