| Resource Type | Report |
| Author / Source | Brooks, Moyano, Ko, Villarreal (E9 Insight, Ted Ko Consulting, Plugged In Strategies, for NARUC) |
| Publication Date | February 2025 |
| Location | United States |
| Initiative Type | Policy, Program, Partnership |
| Project Complexity | Intermediate |
| Recommended For | Board, Staff |
Estimated reading time: 30+ minutes
Why This Matters for Rural Electric Co-ops
This framework is written for state commissions, but two of its core ideas carry directly to a co-op. The first is stating an explicit resilience goal before spending. The second is the Resilience Service Level, which breaks a project into load served, effectiveness, response time, duration, and emissions.
At a self-regulated co-op, the board holds the role the framework assigns to a commission. A board can use the framework's questions to test hardening, microgrid, or storage proposals against a stated goal. Staff can use the Resilience Service Level to describe projects in comparable terms, so the board can see what each option actually delivers.
Key Takeaways
| › | An explicit resilience goal should come before investment decisions, giving the board a reference point to judge proposals and measure progress. |
| › | The Resilience Service Level separates load, effectiveness, response time, duration, and emissions, so co-ops can compare backup power options on equal terms. |
| › | Resilience is framed as distinct from reliability, focused on rare, high-impact events rather than everyday outage performance measured by SAIDI and SAIFI. |
| › | Existing reliability metrics and AMI data can be adapted for resilience, reducing the need to build new data systems from scratch. |
Implementation Considerations
- Regulatory or Governance Considerations: At a self-regulated co-op, the board takes on the commission's role in setting goals and reviewing proposals, which may call for board education on resilience concepts. Co-ops under commission rate regulation should confirm which parts apply under their state's structure.
- Staffing or Technology Requirements: Developing resilience metrics and valuation formulas takes data and analytical capacity. Many co-ops may need to lean on free tools like LBNL's ICE Calculator, statewide associations, or state energy office support.
- Time-Sensitive Information: The valuation example centers on the federal 40101(d) state resilience grant program, and the resilience definition cites a January 2025 National Resilience Strategy. Federal funding and policy have shifted since publication, so co-ops should confirm current program status with their state energy office before relying on either.
Notable Examples
- Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority: Docket 17-12-03RE08 defined the mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery categories the framework adopts.
- California Public Utilities Commission: Microgrid rulemaking R.19-09-009 cited as a model for valuing resilience in regulatory decisions.
- Florida Public Service Commission: Storm protection plans from Florida Power & Light and Duke Energy show resilience planning in practice.
- Hawaiian Electric: Resilience Working Group Report assesses grid vulnerability to natural hazards to inform integrated planning.
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: Interruption Cost Estimator (ICE) Calculator and the Power Outage Economics Tool help put a dollar value on avoided outages.
- NREL/NLR (U.S. Department of Energy): Customer Damage Function Calculator estimates the economic cost of outages to customers.
Estimated reading time: 30+ minutes
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