Charting the Course

Collaboration Shapes the Future of Energy in the Valley

When Dion Cooper stepped into the world of energy distribution nearly two decades ago, the Valley region was already wrestling with many of the same challenges it faces today.

It was 2006, but even as a newcomer to the industry, Cooper knew his mission was clear — ensuring reliable power and meeting the growing capacity needs of his community.

Nearly 20 years later, Cooper’s mission hasn’t changed — but the tools at his disposal have.

As President and CEO of Volunteer Energy Cooperative, Cooper oversees service to nearly 116,000 members across 17 Tennessee counties.

And he believes the region is now better positioned than ever to take on its most challenging energy tasks.

“Technology has advanced greatly in the past 20 years,” Cooper said. “There are more opportunities with distributed energy resources, more control with fiber, and real-time communication with everything that’s going on within our grid — that’s what’s exciting.”

Through his involvement in Valley Vision, Cooper — alongside the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and other local power company leaders — is part of a collaborative planning process that’s shaping the region’s energy future.

A future focused on innovation, connectivity and community.

From Traditional to Transformative

Across the Valley region, systemwide energy planning is undergoing a fundamental shift.

What was once a linear, centralized system is now being reimagined as a dynamic, decentralized network capable of adapting to new technologies, rising demand and a changing climate.

“It feels like the industry, and more specifically the Valley, is at an inflection point,” Jamie Bach, TVA’s Program Lead for Valley Vision, said. “The question is, with the advent of new and distributed resources across the Valley, how do we evolve our planning and operational processes to capture the value this new landscape creates Valley-wide?”

It’s a question with deep roots. In the Tennessee Valley, the 1930s brought rapid electrification and hydroelectric infrastructure projects driven by TVA. These efforts were accelerated against the backdrop of the Great Depression and World War II.

By the 1960s, TVA was building nuclear plants to expand capacity and fuel economic growth during a time of relatively abundant power.

That legacy created today’s energy grid — a system built for centralized and predictable power flows that is supported by a diverse generation portfolio to meet the needs of a growing region.

But today that system is seeing new challenges.

Population growth, economic development and increased residential demand have added additional strains on the grid. And peak loads during extreme temperatures widen the gap between normal operation and stressful conditions.

At the same time, emerging technologies like distributed energy resources (DERs) present both complexity and opportunity for grid capacity.

To meet these challenges, planners are embracing a more flexible, decentralized model that enables two-way energy flows and integrates new technologies to boost capacity and resilience.

They’re working together to connect the pieces into a cohesive, adaptive system that can power a more resilient future.

Power in Partnerships

At the heart of this transformation is collaboration.

Historically, energy planning followed a linear path where TVA generated electricity and local power companies (LPCs) distributed it. And while there were discussions around generation needs and transmission locations, much of the process occurred in silos.

That model no longer fits the complexity of the modern grid.

“The big difference in this planning process is really just the magnitude and scale of what we’re doing here,” Cooper said. “You have so many players in this process that will be affected — 153 local power companies plus direct-served customers. It’s a mammoth undertaking to say the least.”

DERs are transforming the grid into a dynamic system that requires continuous communication and coordination between TVA and community partners.

To encourage discussion, the Valley Vision group formed three initiatives that focus on different areas for improvement: Load Service, Products and Pricing; DER Integration and Enablement; and Collaborative, System-Wide Planning.

These collaboration groups meet independently to talk through interim and long-term solutions for their area of focus, but they also come together to search for answers in an open dialogue.

“Collaboration has always been at the core of Valley Vision,” Bach said. “With something as daunting as integrated planning and operations across the Valley — simply put — working together with local power company partners is the only way to ensure success.”

Valley Vision’s collaborative approach allows TVA and LPCs to jointly analyze data, pursue operational and value stacking studies and understand how DERs can provide grid relief during peak demand — among other efforts.

This Shared knowledge is helping build a more resilient and reliable energy system that can adapt to the challenges of population growth and technological change.

By breaking down silos and encouraging open communication, Valley Vision ensures that the future of energy in the region isn’t dictated from the top down. Instead, it’s cocreated by the people and organizations who know the region best.

For Cooper, the best part of the planning process is drawing on the collective expertise of stakeholders across the region.

“The great part of Valley Vision is working with visionary leaders and being able to stack value on top of value from each other’s experiences,” Cooper said. “It’s evolved organically with one concept inspiring another.”

Innovation Leads the Way

As the Valley region’s energy system evolves, so too does the technology behind it. Innovations from rooftop solar panels to smart thermostats are reshaping how power is generated, stored and delivered.

And batteries are particularly exciting to planners as their storage capacity continues to improve.

As the region works to build new power plants over time, batteries offer a critical bridge between supply and demand — especially during peak usage or unexpected disruptions. They’re quickly becoming an important asset in the Valley’s energy strategy toward adaptability and resilience.

“Our Valley Public Power Model can really position the Valley to be a lead innovator in this space,” Bach said. “Strong partnerships across the Valley create unique innovation opportunities and the ability to try different things in this space.”

And it’s not just about hardware — it’s also about how that hardware communicates.

“I think what’s changed the entire playing field is really communication,” Cooper said. “We’re able to communicate with our downline devices in real time or near real time, and that just changes the whole game.”

Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems now provide operators with real-time insights into grid performance, allowing for faster, smarter decisions. On the residential side, smart thermostats and connected home devices help balance demand and reduce strain during peak periods — all while giving customers more control over their energy use.

As Bach explained, the freedom to innovate and try new and different ideas is critical because efforts like collaborative grid planning and operations are wideranging with an eye toward the future.

“Incremental solutions will come as a result of close collaboration and a realization that everyone involved will need to be willing to revise and refine ideas to achieve the end goal,” he said.

And what is that end goal? TVA and LPCs will collaborate to plan, build and operate a more cost-effective, dynamic and reliable future for the people and communities we serve.

The plan blends a mix of traditional centralized grid with DERs and emerging technologies to deliver value not only to LPCs and directly served customers, but to the entire Valley region.

“Getting to this future state goal won’t happen overnight and will require incremental progress,” Bach said. “Right now, Valley Vision is focused on distribution battery deployment and technical capability progression as a few of the next steps needed to get us there.”

For Bach, Cooper and other Valley Vision leaders, the most exciting part of the process is the collaboration itself — working closely with regional partners to develop solutions that reflect local needs while also helping shape a shared energy future.

“Valley Vision is that framework to bring people together to solve complex problems,” Bach said. “I don’t think that conversation ever ends. We’re going to continue to work together to ensure reliable, affordable power for generations to come.”