Grid research and analytics

(a) Research and policy analysis The Secretary, in collaboration with the Commission, using standardized methodologies and anonymized queue data collected under this Act, shall conduct research and publish periodic reports on the following topics: (1) Primary drivers of increased costs to ratepayers associated with transmission and interconnection, including— (A) transmission capital expenditures; (B) interconnection-related upgrade costs; (C) interconnection study delays; (D) regional variations in cost allocation methodologies; and (E) cost recovery practices by utilities and grid operators. (2) Value delivered to ratepayers from transmission and interconnection investments, including through— (A) improvements to electric system reliability; (B) avoided emissions or emissions reductions; and (C) enhancements to long-term system resilience and grid flexibility. (3) Mechanisms to enhance ratepayer affordability, including— (A) evaluation of performance-based regulation frameworks applied to transmission and interconnection-related investments; (B) assessment of alternative interconnection solutions such as grid-enhancing technologies, shared infrastructure models, or consolidated upgrades; and (C) evaluation of demand-side interventions that reduce the need for costly transmission or interconnection investments. (4) Comparative scenario modeling of potential energy futures, to— (A) identify lowest-cost pathways to national grid expansion; (B) assess trade-offs among investment strategies; and (C) inform decision-making by utilities, regional planning entities, and Federal agencies. (5) Systemic cost impacts from interconnection inefficiencies, including analysis of how study delays, queue withdrawals, and increased construction periods contribute to higher system costs for ratepayers or generators. (6) Opportunities to increase system efficiency and unlock latent capacity through improved operational practices and deployment of advanced technologies, including— (A) assessment of unused or underutilized grid capacity due to outdated planning assumptions or lack of dynamic optimization; (B) evaluation of technologies such as dynamic line ratings, topology optimization, flexible interconnection, or flow control devices; and (C) quantification of benefits to ratepayers and system operators from unlocking this capacity relative to traditional capital-intensive buildout. (b) Interconnection transparency and dashboard (1) In general The Secretary shall, through one or more National Laboratories, develop, maintain, and continuously improve an Interconnection Data Dashboard (in this section referred to as the Dashboard) that presents real-time and historical information relevant to interconnection of generators, loads, and other utilities or transmission systems. (2) Purpose The Dashboard shall provide public stakeholders, regulators, utilities, developers, and researchers with transparent, up-to-date insights into the effectiveness, efficiency, affordability, and reliability of interconnection processes across all transmission planning regions. (3) Data sources The Dashboard shall incorporate data collected under section 3 of this Act and from FERC Form No. 1 filings, relevant Commission filings, publicly available interconnection queue data, and additional datasets, as determined appropriate by the Secretary or the Commission. (4) Capabilities The Secretary shall develop the Dashboard to be able to— (A) present anonymized interconnection queue data, including application volumes, withdrawal rates, project timelines, and milestones; (B) provide visualization of average and median interconnection study durations, disaggregated by region and project type; (C) show aggregated system upgrade costs, study backlogs, and queue performance metrics; (D) allow filtering by geographic location (e.g., State, balancing authority, latitude/longitude coordinate), utility, fuel type, and project size; (E) present each interconnection project’s current development status, such as application submitted, study phase, approved, under construction, or in-service; (F) display physical asset characteristics for each interconnection project and system segment, including nameplate generation capacity, peak load served, and conductor capacity ratings; (G) identify trends in queue reform outcomes, including impacts on throughput, delay reduction, and project completion rates; (H) support export of underlying data in machine-readable formats for public analysis; and (I) perform any other function the Secretary determines appropriate. (5) Reporting The Secretary, in collaboration with National Laboratories and the Commission, shall publish annual reports summarizing findings from the Dashboard, based on data collected pursuant to section 3, without substituting for the more comprehensive cost-driver analysis required under subsection (a), including— (A) interregional comparisons of queue efficiency and project success rates; (B) systemic drivers of delay or cost escalation; (C) estimated ratepayer impacts associated with interconnection bottlenecks; and (D) recommendations for improving interconnection transparency and system performance. (6) Public access The Dashboard shall be made available on a public website and designed for use by a broad range of users, including through visualizations, downloadable datasets, and API access, while maintaining protections for CEII.