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Panelists: operational integration with RTOs and EMS is required to unlock dynamic line rating benefits
Summary
Utility, RTO and vendor panelists said DLR hardware and models are mature but the main obstacles are EMS integration, RTO data flows, compliance and data security; panelists cited concrete pilots that deferred costly transmission projects and urged automation and cross‑stakeholder coordination.
Jesse Hensley asked panelists what the main barriers are to deploying grid‑enhancing technologies. Panelists repeatedly singled out integration with existing operations and market systems as the gating factor for dynamic line ratings (DLR).
Emily Tolis of LineVision said the shift from annual or seasonally adjusted ratings to hourly or real‑time ratings (a change FERC Order 881 advanced) is “a really big adjustment” for operators because it increases variability in planning and requires EMS integration rather than manual workarounds. She also raised CEII accuracy and security concerns that sometimes force vendors and utilities toward on‑prem solutions.
David Quire (PPL Electric Utilities) recounted detailed coordination with PJM — including engineering and IT work — to carry DLRs into day‑ahead market processes and said the effort paid off: “We were able to defer an over $50,000,000 rebuild for with a dynamic line ratings project that was several $100,000.” He described weekly IT‑to‑IT meetings and smoothing algorithms to handle gusts and sensor failures, and emphasized the need to pull DLR data “all the way through” to market pricing.
Panelists agreed that DLR deployment times can be fast for pilots and sensor installs, but that making DLRs operational (EMS integration, compliance documentation, operator procedures and market interfaces) is the longer, more complex part. National Grid reported deploying DLR since 2019; Great River Energy said it has used DLR for about three years and uses both sensor and sensorless approaches in parts of its system.
Security and data governance were recurring concerns. Panelists said vendors have generally been willing to provide on‑prem or hybrid options and grant utilities full access to underlying data, but that state‑level rules or CEII restrictions can require special arrangements. Several speakers urged automation and a single operational “source of truth” in the control room so operators can respond safely to frequent rating updates.
The panel closed with agreement that while DLR can deliver large project‑level savings, the business case depends on local congestion, facility limits and ownership; utilities should prioritize pilots where congestion or construction windows create near‑term value and then scale where cost‑benefit supports it.
Next steps identified at the conference included deeper EMS integration pilots, continued coordination with RTOs to accept forecasts and day‑ahead ratings, and further joint work with reliability organizations to align compliance practices.
