Dear GRID members, 

I wanted to let you know that a group is forming to tackle one of the specific issues that we had on our radar - comparison groups. Some participants in GRID and some from beyond, are initiating an effort to dig in on comparison groups given the needs emerging from COVID to understand the relative impacts of programs on the grid. In the end, they expect to submit a set of methods to the GRID steering committee, and ultimately to the governing board of EM2.

This approach is much like the technical detail that EVO and LBNL took on for working on technical issues around non-routine adjustments. When concrete approaches are ready (I've heard they are close!) the GRID working group would be a place to review do additional testing and adopt specifics (i.e. detailed documentation in line with CalTRACK) for use cases that matter to EM2 members.  

  

As you recall, we left our regular meetings of the GRID working group with the realization that our group is best positioned to review proposals to bring in standardized approaches (with the detailed documentation), rather than use the group to devise approaches from scratch. We'd unveiled several reasons in our discussions at the end of 2019 and decided to re-convene when approaches were ready to review.  

So using a similar tack on the comparison group front, beginning in two weeks, McGee Young and other members of the group will host a twice-monthly open call, where they will describe the testing that they are doing in support of methods to define non-participant comparison groups. In real time they will be developing a set of replicable, transparent methods for quantifying exogenous factors that lie outside of forecasted consumption trends. They plan to spend approximately 4-6 months doing this work. In the end, they expect to submit a set of methods to the GRID steering committee, and ultimately to the governing board of EM2.

With scheduling always a challenge, they have pre-selected Friday, May 22nd, from 11:30-12:30 PT as the kickoff event for this working group. Subsequent meetings will be held at the same time on alternating weeks going forward. If you would like to be added to the calendar invitation for the kickoff and subsequent meetings, please fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/f6iDv9XouNzM5B4F8

I am happy to answer any questions you may have - on this - or if you have other thoughts about next steps on GRID.  

Best wishes, 
Carmen

GRID Chair (acting)

Monthly GRID Working Group Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/533475013 One tap mobile +16699006833,,533475013# US (San Jose) +16465588656,,533475013# US (New York) Dial by your location +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) Meeting ID: 533 475 013 

Good Morning Grid Working Group participants, 

Our October check-in is slated for Wednesday, and I am fleshing out the agenda.  

I'd like to focus on the Normal Year remaining issues and follow up from action items on NRE discussion last month (several follow up materials were posted on the NRE/NRA Issue thread).   

Please let me know if you would like to make time for discussion of any other issues.    

The notes, slides, and video from September's meeting are posted on the GRID Wiki:
 https://github.com/energy-market-methods/GRID/wiki/September-11,-2019-Meeting-Summary

A reminder of the specs for the meeting Wednesday at 10:00 Pacific:
Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/533475013 One tap mobile +16699006833,,533475013# US (San Jose) +16465588656,,533475013# US (New York) Dial by your location +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) Meeting ID: 533 475 013 Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/ad72U1BT9v

Best wishes, 
Carmen

Carmen Best
GRID Working Group Chair
ph. 608.332.7992
carmen@...

Good Morning - 

Just a reminder that we have our GRID working group call tomorrow at 10:00 Pacific.  

I will not be able to attend, but Ethan has graciously volunteered to facilitate.  Most of the content will be coming from James Russel and Lia Webster - as they will be talking through current status on NRE research and timelines. 

Per a question on the call today - here a couple of ways to make sure your notifications in GitHub are set to your liking...

First, make sure you have "Watching" turned on for GRID.  Below is a screen shot - note the eye that says "Unwatch" next to it - just click on that to "watch" or "unwatch".  

  You can also go into the settings by hovering over your log in icon [the little badger you see in my screen shot below].  You may need to log in to get to this part. 
Email and Notification settings can be found there.  There are several configurations you can choose that are pretty self explanatory - but make sure your preferred email is provided.  



I hope this is helpful - and if you still have questions - let me know.  I can help you walk through it.  

Best wishes, 
Carmen

Thanks to everyone for their contributions today.  

Our Homework boiled down to the following: 

• Next Steps on Normal Year -
  • McGee Young will start a GDoc to lay out the basic steps pointing toward a specific method; and the specific use cases (how they tie to other issues that are in scope for GRID) 
• The topic for next month - (9/11 meeting date) 
  • Lia Webster and James Russel will be on point for an NRE discussion next week to provide an overview of where the EVO/LBNL projects are in NRE, and current adaptations that are at play right now. 
• CONTINUING: For existing issues, review and add literature with context/description on Github
• CONTINUING: Consider how other issues can be decomposed to discrete tasks propose in Github

Recording from 8/14/2019 meeting
Slides from 8/14/2019 Meeting

Attendees: 
A reminder that you can get the info from this and all the past meetings on the GitHub Wiki - https://github.com/energy-market-methods/GRID/wiki
You need to log into GitHub to see them - but that's where I put the recording, notes, and slides.

Carmen

Hi Everyone - 
We're slated to get together on Wednesday at 10AM Pacific.  

Github has been pretty quiet since our last meeting, I'll attribute it to summer vacation! 

We'll take up a nagging question on making meter-based efficiency fit into the typical reporting needs framework, specifically "Normal Weather Year" adjustments. 
This fits into Issue #3 topic of reporting parameters that enable meter-based savings to be counted as a grid resource.  

Here are the parameters for the meeting on Wednesday: 
Monthly GRID Working Group
Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/533475013 One tap mobile +16699006833,,533475013# US (San Jose) +16465588656,,533475013# US (New York) Dial by your location +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) Meeting ID: 533 475 013 Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/ad72U1BT9v

Hi GRID Enthusiasts!

Just a note to let you know that I posted the slide deck, the video and (new value add from Natalie!) actual NOTES from the call! 

You can find it on our GRID - GitHub wiki page. 

I am also sleuthing around for the M&V plans that we talked about on the call and plan to post them on the relevant Git Hub issues.  If you have MORE materials as part of this literature review phase, please add more, comment on the existing plans.  Our goal is to start pulling the component parts out to develop more discrete testing - for what are right now very broad categories of inquiry.

Happy to discuss anytime - especially in GRID GitHub Issues! 

Carmen 

Hi Everyone - 

Thank you or putting forward four awesome and daunting issues on GRID GitHub.

I have been waffling on setting up voting on priorities like we did in CalTRACK, because a.) these issues were intended to help define scope; b.) each one could probably provide enough material for a PhD thesis!  CalTRACK has a different maturity that means they are dealing with pretty discrete issues at this time.

I think it’s worth our while to take the time to develop a common understanding of our use case for GRID to put these issues on a testing trajectory that will be manageable and meaningful. Elliot's issue hones in on this point, and each of the other issues called out some line of "whatever we mean by net grid impacts and claimable savings"; suggesting we need a little more work in that area.  

Therefore, I propose our agenda for Wednesdays meeting focus on hearing from some of the members that are dealing with "net grid impacts and claimable savings" directly. I am waiting to hear back from a few of the meter/based P4P program administrators in the group to share: 

• What does net grid impacts and claimable savings mean in their program/pilot? (or is it even relevant?) 

• Why is it important (and to whom is it important)? (or why is it NOT important?) 

• How are they isolating the differences from CalTRACK outputs? (i.e. how are they linked?)

• What are approaches or requirements have emerged that are addressing some of the key issues we've identified? (e.g. persistence factor treated with weighted measure EUL; deemed net to gross ratio, remove participants with NRE instead of adjusting, etc.) 

I think this will give us all a better sense of where we're starting - our baseline in a sense.  Then we can focus on specific topics for literature review establishing more background as our homework and start breaking these issues down in relation to how they’re being treated now. Taking a lesson from the CalTRACK experience, we were most productive when we can focus on a specific problem, issue, and had a time/place where it was expected to be put into practice - hoping to do the same here.

Open to modifications for this agenda, let me know if you have changes.  

Carmen

Carmen Best

Hi Everyone - 
Thanks for working through the slides yesterday, and apologies for confusion on the timeline slide in particular - I meant for it to recap where we left it last month and re-callibrate (which in essence you all did) but sorry that wasn't clear from the get go. 

The conversation seems to be evolving a bit, but of course the scope issues are still the focal point.  I added some suggestions based on the meeting discussion to help focus both comments on the scope issues and framing any new scope issues that folks may be working on (see three points in the summary below). 

I'll be reaching out to many of you - now that I have my life back.  Thanks for your patience with me during this big disruption, and I look forward to digging in more deeply. 

Best wishes, 
Carmen

~~~~ Meeting Summary on Git Hub~~~~~
The GRID working group met via ZOOM on Wednesday, June 12. Members in attendance are listed below. Ethan Goldman hosted the meeting at the request of Carmen Best (Chair) who was still on jury duty.

June 12, 2019 Recording

June 12, 2019 Slide Deck

Highlights of the meeting:

• Scope was the primary point of discussion
• Members should continue to post issues dedicated to setting the scope of the group; and comment on others' suggestions for scope issues. Please post all issues by June 19th and continue the discussions on git hub (voting on priorities may or may not be necessary depending on how many issues emerge).
• If an issue may overlap with CalTRACK issues, note it in the description of the issue.
• In sharing (or commenting on) a scope issue, please include perspectives on: 1.) Why is the issue important?(i.e. is there a technical gap or a transition needed for meter-based savings) 2.) How does it fit with the purpose of the GRID group of supporting technical issues around savings and the grid planning intersect and 3.) What is the end in mind for the issue? (i.e. what is the practical real world application for a resolution and where will it be used.)

Hi Everyone - 
Very sorry to say that I am still in jury duty - but the end is very near - so Ethan Goldman will be hosting the meeting tomorrow. 

I didn't get any updates to the agenda from last week, so please take a look at the issues pending (see email string below) and we should have time to discuss them with a fair level of detail.  

I also set up the registration function in Zoom so we will have a record of who is attending without having to go through a long list of names; just asking for intros still to keep building familiarity with the group.

Best wishes, 
Carmen

GRID WG Chair

Hi Everyone - 
Our next working group meeting is around the corner.  I am still on jury duty, but am hoping that I will be done by Wednesday I am looking for a back up if I am not released by the courts by then. 

We have two issues posted for consideration and discussion on Wednesday: 
- Difference in Differences, Comparison Groups (Al Lutz) 
- Savings persistence in Scope (McGee Young)

We can dedicate most of our agenda to discussing these two topics; but also please post your reactions and thoughts to them on github. 

There is still room for people to propose other topics to help shape the scope please post them on the issues page.  

Best wishes, 
Carmen

Carmen Best
GRID Working Group Chair

Specs for the meeting 6/12:  [Shared EM2 Calendar]

Hi Everyone - 
We have two issues posted on GitHub so far; one of which migrated over from CalTRACK. 

If you have more issues to post or comments to make on the ones here, please take a moment to post them on GitHub.

We meet again on June 12th; at 10 AM Pacific.

Apologies if I haven't been reaching out to drum up more conversations one on one - but still on jury duty (this is week 6 - but the end is in sight) 

Best wishes, 
Carmen

Hi Everyone - 
I enjoyed listening to the meeting last week - and special thanks for taking on the 5 word challenge! 

The scope of this project is clearly the first think to tackle and the issues that are submitted will frame those priorities, so thank to those that have already submitted issues.  A couple notes on submitting issues: 

• If there are specific deadlines or decisions at your organization (or jurisdiction) that may be driving those issues, please also include those in the documentation so we can consider it in prioritization. 
• If you have ideas, but want to flesh them out in more detail before posting, I encourage you to call a peer from the group (or maybe two) to talk through framing the issue most effectively for the group. The more work we put in between meetings the more progress we'll be able to make when we all gather.  

Below my signature line are the links to the materials which I will post on the GRID Github Wiki after each meeting; but sending them along as well (belt and suspenders); I also added an image of the "traffic" on github which shows me that folks are getting in there and getting signed up - thanks!

Best wishes to all, 

Carmen
GRID WG Chair

Hi Everyone - 
Just a reminder that I will still be on jury duty for our meeting on May 8th; but Ethan Goldman has volunteered to facilitate on my behalf. 

I pulled an agenda together that mirrors the last CalTRACK working group meeting so we can ensure everyone is clear on how to submit draft issues; and hopefully we will have some time to discuss some preliminary issues that are on people's minds. 

Also note that I have added the past slide decks and the recordings for the last two meetings on our GRID Github Wiki page. 

Draft Agenda: (let me know if you have additions)

• Overview of agenda

• Additions / Corrections

• Member Roll Call

• Name, Org, Challenge: Why are you participating in GRID (in five words or less!)

• Sign-ups review

• Listserv (complete!)

• GRID - Github (4 viewers on GRID git hub repo - not much there may explain why, any other issues?)

• Discuss timeline

• Issues submitted within 3 weeks

• Prioritization (voting if necessary) start at next meeting (6/12)

• Set up sprints the following meeting (6/26)

• Review Issue/Pre-Draft submission process (Video)

• Review Issue format

• Necessary completeness criteria

• Open up for members to discuss any burning issues

Homework: Submit issues for consideration by the Working Group

Best wishes,

Carmen

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