With 30% rooftop solar penetration nationally (50% in the state of South Australia) Australia is living, at scale, the distributed energy resource (DER) transformation that many U.S. states can expect. In March 2026, the CHARGED Initiative—a collaboration between Advanced Energy United,
Lessons from the 2026 Charged Initiative Australia Study Tour
In March 2026, the CHARGED Initiative brought nine U.S. utility commissioners and staff on a study tour to Australia, a country that has developed a blueprint for managing an electricity grid led by distributed energy. Australia has the highest rooftop solar penetration in the world, and its utilities, regulators, and market operator have spent the …
What can US utility regulators learn from Australia’s distribution market?
Nearly two years ago, GridLab, Advanced Energy United, and RMI launched the CHARGED Initiative, a collaborative effort designed to help prepare the distribution system for electrification so that customers benefit from low costs and high reliability. The CHARGED team marked this anniversary of the growing program by leading a delegation of US state utility commissioners …
Blog: The Case for Utilization Metrics and Utility Benchmarking
In September 2025, CHARGED led a second delegation of regulators and regulatory staff to Great Britain (GB) to learn about its approach towards flexibility. This blog post—coauthored by CHARGED Steering Committee members Priya Sreedharan and Alex Walmsley with James Van Nostrand, former Chair of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities—deep dives further into the incentive …
Transatlantic Learnings on Regulatory Innovation: Commissioner Insights on Flexibility in Great Britain
Great Britain (GB) is a hub for innovative solutions on the electricity distribution system, providing a case study for managing a flexible and cutting-edge grid that drives affordability. In this webinar, commissioners who went on the May 2025 Study Tour shared lessons learned from GB leaders on innovations, challenges, and solutions related to grid flexibility, …
Great Britain Study Trip Report-Out Memo
The CHARGED Initiative led a Study Tour to Great Britain in May 2025, where seven U.S. regulators visited with leaders in GB’s flexibility markets who have pioneered innovative methods and incentives to unlock demand flexibility. This memo shares the key lessons learned on the trip, including opportunities for immediate implementation in the U.S. and steps …
How UK Grid Innovation Can CHARGE US States
In May 2025, U.S. regulators visited Great Britain to learn about how its innovative, market-driven approach to grid flexibility accelerates reduces costs and enables electrification. This blog post from GridLab’s Ric O’Connell shares the exciting ideas from across the pond and the practical lessons learned that can be applied stateside.
