Current Activities

The 21st Century Power Partnership (21CPP) seeks to collaborate with countries on renewable energy grid integration, energy efficiency, and smart grids, as well as in analytical efforts spanning these critical areas. For information on how to participate, contact 21CPP.

Power System Transformation

Reports and Workshops on Best Practices in Grid Management and Market Operations for Integrating Variable Renewable Energy

A hallmark of our work program in renewable energy grid integration focuses on "International Best Practices in Electric Grid Management and Market Operations for Integrating Variable Renewable Energy.” We have partnered with leading development organizations, foundations, and others to conduct grid integration studies in India and Mexico and are currently starting such a study in South Africa. The audience for these reports and workshops are policymakers, regulators, grid planners/operators, and civic society. This activity aims to provide a comparison and analysis of practices in:

  • Electric grid management, including forecasting renewable energy production and balancing/scheduling
  • Data and model needs for informative grid integration studies
  • The role of flexible generators in systems with large amounts of variable generation
  • Market operations, such as open access and ancillary services that are implemented in or considered for various jurisdictions around the world to enable large penetration and integration of variable wind and solar.

Energy Efficiency

Report and Workshops on Best Practices for State-Level Policymakers

A near-term work program on energy efficiency includes multiple state-level workshops on integrating energy efficiency targets into power system planning and the development of a report summarizing the key findings and recommendations. State government engagement is essential, and various state regulators have shown some interest in capturing and deploying more energy efficiency, though much more needs to be done.

The report and workshops will discuss the merits of concrete policies and programs to incentivize energy efficiency, such as:

  • Establishing sustainable funding for efficiency through rates, public benefit charges or recycling revenues from pollution, carbon or other levies on fossil fuels
  • Establishing energy efficiency procurement obligations (like the statutory renewable obligations), requiring distribution utility efficiency plans, goals and programs
  • Providing proportional financial support to super-efficient appliance and building programs
  • Requiring payment for demand response services to optimize supply and demand balance.