PPL partnered with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in conducting a study to evaluate how electrification might progress in Pennsylvania. Electrification is the adoption of electric end-use technologies in the transportation, building and industrial sectors. The assessment finds that electrification outcomes, including the extent, timing, infrastructure and investment needs of transmission infrastructure as well as electric generating capacity, will vary depending on the details of the scenarios, and most importantly on assumptions about future economic and demographic changes in Pennsylvania. Although the assessment included six such scenarios, this report will focus on two: the PPL Base Case, and the EPRI National Electrification Assessment (NEA) Reference case.
The project had three components that were split into tasks. Task 1 was an Energy System Assessment through 2050, including electrification, and the results were used to inform the following tasks. Task 2 was a high-level qualitative transmission assessment, focusing on changes to the Pennsylvania transmission system through 2030. Task 3 was a utility-scale assessment and implementation plan for specific end-use technologies.
Task 3 focuses on opportunities in PPL’s service territory, including strategies to overcome market barriers. A portfolio of electric technologies may be considered for beneficial load growth considering both technologies that have quick payback and those that provide customers with highly valuable non-energy benefits.