Organizations Involved: Vanderbilt Law School Energy, Environment, and Land Use Program
Source: Vanderbilt Law Research Paper
Abstract
This white paper examines the opportunities for, and barriers to, microgrids in Tennessee. First, the paper provides an overview of the common features and the typical variations of microgrids. Tennessee does not define “microgrid” in its laws or regulations, but we offer a working definition based on definitions from federal law, law of other states, secondary sources, and microgrid examples across the United States. Next, the paper discusses the legal and regulatory landscape relevant to microgrids in Tennessee. Starting with the federal level, we explore the challenges that TVA’s generation and transmission monopoly within most of Tennessee presents to microgrid projects. We then proceed to state-level regulation, using the JSC proposal as a case study. The paper then provides recommendations for policies that the state of Tennessee could adopt to provide regulatory clarity and encourage the adoption of microgrids to promote clean energy and reliability in the state.
