SOLUTIONS
Utility Regulators
Is your utility regulatory commission exploring updates to your state interconnection procedures or experiencing an increasing number of interconnection complaints? EquinoxDG can help you assess the underlying regulations or utility practices that need attention.
Rule Evaluation
Existing interconnection rules and tariffs provide the critical foundation for predictable and enforceable utility processes. Interconnection challenges are often attributable to deficiencies in these regulations. EquinoxDG supports utility regulatory commissions by providing detailed, independent evaluations of existing interconnection procedures for distributed energy resources (DERs).
The firm reviews tariffs, rules, technical screens, timelines, and utility practices to identify gaps between regulatory intent and implementation, assess performance and risk, and highlight opportunities for targeted improvement. Evaluations are grounded in practical experience with utility operations and regulatory processes and are designed to inform actionable commission oversight and reform.
Process Facilitation
Utility regulators are often required to navigate competing positions between utilities and interconnecting customers and assess claims of safety and reliability against concerns related to utility practices. EquinoxDG supports commission staff by providing neutral, independent support for complex DER interconnection proceedings and stakeholder processes.
As an objective, outcomes-focused facilitator, EquinoxDG helps parties engage productively on difficult issues, clarify areas of agreement and disagreement, and work toward consensus where possible. Where consensus cannot be reached, EquinoxDG helps commission staff clearly document positions, assess tradeoffs, and develop well-grounded recommendations to inform commission decision-making.
Ombuds Support
Interconnection ombudsperson services are becoming more common in states as the number and complexity of interconnection disputes increase. EquinoxDG supports utility regulatory commissions by providing independent technical and procedural expertise to supplement existing ombudsperson functions related to DER interconnection.
We assist commission staff with evaluating the technical merits of specific interconnection complaints, assessing utility processes, and identifying pathways to resolution, thus strengthening existing ombudsperson capacity and surfacing systemic issues that may warrant broader regulatory attention.