Maryland is taking a more integrated approach to distribution grid planning, connecting load forecasting, distributed energy resources (DERs), hosting capacity and grid investment decisions.
Under COMAR 20.50.15, utilities must develop comprehensive Electric System Plans that consider traditional infrastructure investments alongside non-wires solutions (NWS), evaluate the locational value of DERs and measure planning outcomes.
Here's what we're watching:
The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) adopted COMAR 20.50.15, establishing electric system planning requirements for utilities across the state.
The regulation affects Maryland's major electric distribution utilities, including Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE), Pepco, Delmarva Power & Light, and Potomac Edison. Electric cooperatives, including Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO), and municipal electric companies are also subject to the regulation, but their requirements do not take effect until January 1, 2028. Sounds like it is far away, but warrants consideration now.
COMAR 20.50.15 establishes a more coordinated distribution planning process, connecting several key activities:
Load and DER forecasting: Anticipating future electricity demand and distributed resource growth.
Hosting capacity and grid needs: Identifying available capacity and current or future grid constraints.
Locational analysis: Understanding where DERs could provide value to the distribution system.
Solution evaluation: Comparing traditional infrastructure investments with potential NWAs.
Performance assessment: Measuring outcomes to inform future planning decisions.
These requirements also complement ongoing Maryland PSC work under Case No. 9778, which addresses DER interconnection, aggregation and grid services. The regulation also requires utilities to consider multiple planning scenarios, incorporate stakeholder input and provide greater transparency into their planning assumptions and processes.
Together, these initiatives highlight the growing connection between distribution planning, interconnection and DER integration.
COMAR 20.50.15 took effect on November 24, 2025, with staggered applicability across utility types.
Utilities must publish comprehensive Electric System Plans at least every three years, with annual updates in intervening years.
The requirements apply to electric distribution utilities across Maryland, according to their respective implementation schedules.
For utilities, the significance extends beyond regulatory reporting.
Connecting forecasting, hosting capacity, grid-needs identification and investment evaluation requires reliable grid data and consistent engineering analysis. Understanding when and where constraints occur can help utilities evaluate whether flexibility, energy storage or other NWAs could address grid needs before committing to infrastructure upgrades.
envelio's Intelligent Grid Platform (IGP) supports these workflows through a continuously updated, validated engineering digital twin. Physics-based power flow analysis, time-series simulations and scenario modeling help utilities evaluate future grid conditions, identify constraints and compare potential solutions.
We'll be watching how Maryland utilities put these requirements into practice and whether similar approaches to integrated distribution planning emerge in other states.