In March 2022, Connecticut regulators approved a new Innovative Energy Solutions (IES) program to accelerate the state’s grid modernization efforts by facilitating partnerships among private companies, the state’s electric utilities and other stakeholders. The IES will consider “innovative pilot programs, technologies, products, and services” that could be deployed on a limited basis, evaluated and potentially scaled up, according to an order approved by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.
IES is a “regulatory sandbox premised on the need to re-imagine pilot projects,” PURA Chairman Marissa Gillett said in a statement. The initiative is expected to launch in January 2023. The program will set up innovation cycles to enable rapid collaboration between private industry and utilities, to test pilots quickly and then make a decision on whether to go forward with a broader rollout.