In the Pacific Northwest, Non-Wires Transmission Alternative ‘Reflects a Shift’ in Grid Planning

Can efficiency, demand response and distributed energy replace new power lines? The Bonneville Power Administration is finding out. The Bonneville Power Administration is taking its first step into “non-wires alternatives” for power grid investments -- not necessarily by choice, but certainly with a lot of preparation in advance. Last week, the federal agency that manages the Columbia River hydropower complex and power grid across the Pacific Northwest announced it has given up its nearly decade-long effort to build a new transmission line along the I-5 corridor. The project, which faced public opposition from the start, has also ballooned in cost from an initial estimate of $346 million to more than $1 billion. Instead, BPA will turn to non-wires alternatives -- demand-side resources like efficiency and demand response, as well as distributed energy such as rooftop solar -- as one of several parts of its replacement plan.   Non-wires alternatives are starting to take a role in distribution grid investment planning in states like California, New York and Hawaii. But Bonneville’s pilot project is taking the concept to the transmission system, or more specifically, a portion of stressed-out line between the cities of Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington, the most heavily populated part of the Columbia River basin.