February 06, 2025

Nick Wallace

Outsmarting the Transmission Bottleneck

ELPC and partners reached a landmark settlement with Ameren to integrate grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) and storage systems into its transmission planning in Illinois.

The road to a 100% clean energy future will not be a straight line. It will be full of detours and roadblocks that demand adaptability.  

Right now, one major roadblock to new clean energy is that segments of our existing transmission system have reached capacity. The queue of clean energy projects waiting to connect to the grid gets longer every day.

Building new transmission lines is essential to bringing large-scale clean energy projects online, but it’s an expensive and complicated process that often takes upwards of five years to complete. 

In the meantime, we need short-term solutions to bring more clean energy online without waiting for new lines. That’s where grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) come in. 

What are grid-enhancing technologies (GETs)? 

In short, GETs help us get more out of the grid that we’ve already paid for. 

In technical terms, GETs are advanced hardware and software tools that optimize the transmission system, making it smarter, more flexible, and more efficient. These technologies:

• Increase the amount of electricity the existing transmission system can deliver 

• Reduce the time and cost required to add clean energy to the grid 

• Improve grid reliability by providing real-time data about system conditions 

• Enhance coordination with wind farms, battery storage, and other clean energy solutions 

GETs maximize the benefits of transmission investments while saving ratepayers money and ensuring a more resilient, modern grid.  

A breakthrough agreement in Illinois 

ELPC, alongside our partners at the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), reached a landmark settlement with Ameren, a major Illinois utility, to integrate grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) and storage systems into its transmission planning in Illinois.  

This agreement sets an important precedent for using advanced technologies to improve the efficiency of the grid, accelerate clean energy deployment, and reduce costs for consumers. 

Ameren’s “Tranche 1” transmission project was designed to address reliability challenges and accommodate growing demand, including new clean energy interconnections. While these goals are important, ELPC and our partners pushed for an approach that would deliver greater customer and environmental benefits at a lower cost by incorporating GETs. 

Under the settlement, Ameren has agreed to: 

• Update its local transmission planning criteria to ensure GETs and other advanced technologies are considered 

• Conduct annual reviews to identify opportunities for GETs to enable new renewable resources to connect to the grid 

• Deploy dynamic line ratings (a type of grid-enhancing technology) on at least six lines within 12 months of the settlement 

How we got here 

This settlement bears the fruit of years of ELPC’s advocacy to incorporate GETs into Midwest transmission planning. It builds on our previous victory during the Illinois Renewable Energy Access Plan proceeding, where we successfully urged the Illinois Commerce Commission to direct utilities and to consider GETs in transmission planning. 

Following that order, I told Utility Dive in a 2024 interview, “Grid-enhancing technologies are much faster to deploy than most transmission infrastructure, which means they can be a real short-term solution. They’re also really cost-effective, good for ratepayers, and will allow for increased transmission capacity. They have been tried, they have been deployed, and they have been more effective when deployed than the theoretical studies think they might be, so at this point, there is no reason to leave them sitting on the shelf.”  

This agreement with Ameren moves that goal forward by requiring Ameren to consider GETs when developing new lines and annual, system-wide reviews for possible GETs deployments — a crucial step in integrating GETs into utility operations. 

Why this matters 

Across the country, experience has shown that GETs improve grid reliability, lower costs for ratepayers, and accelerate the integration of clean energy sources like wind and solar — delivering immediate benefits for both consumers and the environment. 

This agreement with Ameren marks one of the first times a utility has committed to incorporating GETs into standard transmission planning, setting a powerful precedent for other states, commissions, and utilities nationwide. 

At ELPC, we believe in not just expanding the grid but making it smarter — a grid that is cleaner, more intelligent, and more efficient is also more affordable. This agreement is a major step toward ensuring Illinois leads the way in forward-thinking energy planning.

By making GETs a core part of the transmission process, we’re building a system that works better for consumers, utilities, and the environment alike.