Sandbox Exploration

Objectives

Research indicates that sandboxes and similar mechanisms in the United States are often the result of strong leadership by a utility commissioner, regulatory staff member, utility, or other champion, but also that there is a lack of awareness of sandboxes as tools to help achieve jurisdictional and utility objectives. 

This level of technical assistance is designed to increase understanding of sandboxes, why they are important, how they are generally structured and operated, and how they can be tailored to support state- and utility-specific objectives such as increasing T&D capacity, grid reliability and affordability.

Activities

Berkeley Lab provides tailored, virtual educational briefings to:

• Identify ways that regulatory sandboxes and other innovation vehicles may help address electricity sector challenges in your jurisdiction
• Explore projects in other jurisdictions deployed to address similar challenges
• Describe ways to promote quick and effective scaling of successful utility trials for advanced grid technologies
• Articulate benefits of sandboxes in relation to various stakeholders
• Improve stakeholder buy-in for regulatory sandboxes and other innovation approaches by responding to questions and possible concerns from various stakeholders and illustrating possible mitigations

Availability

Berkeley Lab can provide general informational webinars about regulatory sandboxes for advanced grid technologies to states and utilities throughout the country. In addition, the Lab anticipates providing tailored Sandbox Exploration services to ~5 states or utilities.