Transmission Technology Assessment and Roadmapping: A Regional Exercise

Abstract

Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is a Federal agency marketing and transmitting electricity power to northwest area in the US. BPA invests on research, development and demonstration (RD&D) projects to create and deliver the best value for the customers. In order to identify and support the valuable RD&D projects, BPA develops technology roadmaps in several core technology areas. The transmission technology roadmap represents the synthesis of expert opinion and technical knowledge of 80 experts across a variety of disciplines in BPA including transmission operations, planning, facility design and maintenance. It marks the beginning of an ongoing process to support decisions about RD&D investments in the northwest area of US. It provides a strategic framework to guide transmission RD&D efforts based on targets and time-based milestones. It addresses the technological challenges as well as long-term needs. This paper presents the technological needs identified for the transmission business of BPA.