No-Regrets Solutions for Accelerating Grid Interconnection
Alternative interconnection pathways have tremendous potential to bring more resources online while traditional interconnection queues across the country continue to face backlogs. Generator replacement (adding new generation at the site of a retiring plant) and surplus interconnection (adding new generation at the site of an existing plant) are two of the cheapest and quickest ways to interconnect new resources, increasing energy and capacity on the grid. This report, prepared by Synapse Energy Economics for Sun2o, provides an overview of the deployment potential and additional benefits that come from taking advantage of surplus interconnection and generator replacement opportunities. The report examines how much faster, cheaper, and lower risk these types of projects are, as well as their potential to keep jobs and tax revenues in communities where coal plants are retiring. It also quantifies the potential capacity that could be brought online through these interconnection pathways and highlights the utility commissions and utility companies that are supporting these practices.