Policies to Support Dynamic Line Ratings

As electricity demand and affordability concerns grow, one option to utilize more of the existing grid as an alternative to building more power lines is known as Dynamic Line Ratings (DLR), which uses real-time environmental sensors to safely unlock 10% to 40% of latent capacity on existing power lines. Skylark Energy Solutions, a start-up company developing a DLR technology, partnered with EAP students Mohammad Eshaghi, Sharan Ganjam Seshachallam, John O’Neill, and Gabriel Shapiro to understand the economic, deployment, and policy landscape of DLR currently and to make policy recommendations to support DLR deployment in Wisconsin.

While empirical pilots across the U.S. and Europe demonstrate that DLR can be deployed in under a year for a fraction of the cost and time of traditional infrastructure while saving millions in congestion fees, widespread commercial adoption is currently stalled by utility frameworks that favor capital-intensive expenditures. To overcome these institutional barriers, the paper advocates for a state-level “Grid Modernization and Efficiency Standard” implemented by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, which would mandate DLR deployment on a heavily congested corridor when a utility applies to the commission to approve construction of a new, large transmission line.