How to integrate a long-term view to the development of transmission systems? This is the challenge of transmission planning: to take into account future uncertainty, new power technologies and economic and operating realities in order to come up with a plan for transmission development.

In the new and emerging competitive markets, transmission planning needs to demonstrate relevance by providing applicable solutions to anticipated problems. In doing so, planners must provide answers to questions that have not yet been asked.

We will cover the various methodologies that have been tried, and point out the ones that work, and don’t work in the new competitive environment. We will discuss the methodologies for developing the strategic plan, and software-based approach to developing the implementation plan. We address the least-cost methodology, and how this is applicable to modern power systems. Finally, the course will discuss the possible future impacts in increasing penetration of renewable energies into the bulk power system, how to address them and how to plan for them.