The Importance of Long-Term Planning
For some electric utilities, long-term strategic energy planning (a three-to five-year plan) is an integral part of their businesses. For others, it is on the “back burner.”
And for still others, it is something that has never been done.
What is a strategic energy plan? “A strategic energy plan is a roadmap to achieving community energy goals in both the near and long term. The goals are determined by stakeholder input, so the plans are inherently local and have stakeholder buy-in, leading to a greater likelihood of success of the plan over time,” (National Renewable Energy Laboratory).