Reliability Working Group Fall Session

The Reliability Working Group will hold an online session on Thursday, November 19, 4:00 – 5:00 pm (eastern US). The focus of the session will be on the working group’s High Share of Inverter-Based Generation Task Force.

The objective of the task force is to develop an understanding of the options for stable operation of future power systems with a very high share of inverter-based generation like wind, solar and storage, while also working to build a consensus with research organizations, OEMs and system operators on a roadmap for making the transition from the power system of today to a future one dominated by inverter-based generation.

Since the last meeting in Spring 2020, several members of the task force have developed an outline for an ESIG white paper on Power System Needs with High Share of Inverter-Based Resources with a focus on Grid Forming Inverter Technology. The purpose of the paper is to discuss system needs, grid forming technology and control methods, international projects where grid forming technology have already been applied and experience with requirements/market products incentivizing grid forming capability, and future needs for grid forming resources. During the meeting the outline will be discussed and finalized and work will be assigned. As a part of the discussion, Andrew Isaacs from Electranix will provide a brief update on recent developments with grid forming inverters in Hawaii.

Additionally, a new subject for discussion will be proposed regarding integrated planning. It is increasingly difficult to define the most stressful system conditions to plan for with more IBRs on the grid, considering dispatch impact on frequency and regulation, commitment impact on inertia, system strength and control stability, etc. New models and methods are greatly needed, and utilities also need to consider new practices and technologies. An initial discussion of these topics will take place during the session and continue until the next session in Spring 2021.

Reliability Working Group Chair: Jason MacDowell, GE Power

High Share of Inverter-Based Generation Task Force
Task Force Chair: Julia Matevosyan, ERCOT
Task Force Co-chair: Fred Huang, ERCOT