Changing Generation Mix

About this risk area

The generation resource mix is transforming from large coal-fired and natural-gas-fired units to renewable, and distributed energy resources. The changing generation resource mix is largely driven by energy policy and public opinion and has become a significant concern for the reliability, security, and resilience of the electric grid. The 2022 and 2023 Long-Term Reliability Assessments by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) found that the addition of variable energy resources, primarily wind and solar, the continued growth of distributed energy resources (DER), and the retirement of conventional generation are fundamentally changing how the grid is planned and operated.  

We are working to mitigate this risk by sharing the results of our planning assessments with industry and state policy makers to highlight risks we are seeing in the short- and long-term. Communicating directly with state commissions, legislators, and governor’s offices on the risks facing their states is a new frontier for our organization that we’ve faced head-on. We send out a monthly State Outreach newsletter, plus we host State Outreach webinars targeted to policy makers regarding resource adequacy challenges, essential reliability services, and important technical risk considerations facing the states.  

We are happy to provide expert testimony on grid reliability issues or participate in hearings talking about the challenges facing the grid. To set up a meeting with us, please select “State, Government, and Policy Support” when filling out the form on our Contact Us page. 

Explore resources on the changing generation mix below.