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Webinar: Flexible Solar Interconnection Demonstration at Avangrid: Lessons Learned and Advanced Technology Development
October 22, 2025 @ 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm EDT
Featured Speakers: Zachary (Zach) Caruso, Lead Analyst – Programs and Projects in Clean Energy Policy, Avangrid Networks; Devon MarcAurele, Supervisor – Interconnections in Integrated System Planning, Avangrid Networks; Leo Jiang, Principal Engineer, Avangrid Networks
Webinar Abstract: Avangrid piloted the flexible solar interconnection (Flex IX) technology in North America with two sites running for 4 years in upstate New York. The cutting-edge Flex IX technology increased the solar hosting capacity from 2.6 MW to 15 MW and avoided ~$3 million cost of grid reinforcement. Lessons learned from these pilot projects showed that solar farms could experience measurable curtailment due to overloading of grid assets in normal grid operation as well as limiting solar generation output during communication outages. As utilities across the U.S. begin adopting the Flex IX technology, solar developers are seeking solutions to reduce solar curtailment and improve return on investment. This seminar will 1) share the lessons learned from the Flex IX pilot demonstration projects from Avangrid, 2) present advanced Flex IX technologies, including dynamic asset rating and improved fail-safe mode control, to reduce solar curtailment both in normal operations and during communication outages, and 3) discuss the need of advanced technologies including stability risk assessment and orchestrated smart inverter control for DER integration into weak distribution networks.
About the Speakers: Zachary (Zach) Caruso is a Lead Analyst – Programs and Projects in Clean Energy Policy for Avangrid Networks which serve nearly 3.3 million customers in the northeastern United States. In this role, Zach is responsible for leading the development, planning, and implementation of multiple DER Management projects supporting Avangrid’s Grid Modernization roadmap across all 4 of Avangrid’s Electric Operating Companies including the Flexible Interconnection Capacity Solution (FICS) REV Demo at New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) in New York. Additional responsibilities include guiding the DER Management strategy at Avangrid’s Electric Operating Companies and leading the adoption of new standards for DER Integration.
Before joining Avangrid, Zach earned a Bachelors and a Master of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering with a Focus on Energy and Electricity Systems from Lehigh University.
Devon MarcAurele is a Supervisor – Interconnections in Integrated System Planning for Avangrid Networks. In this role, Devon drives change in the Standardized Interconnection Requirements (SIR) that governs DER interconnections in New York as well as oversees the DER interconnection studies across NYSEG and RG&E. He also is a key contributor to addressing and solving complex power quality problems on weak distribution networks.
Before joining Avangrid, Devon was a DER Planning Engineer at Eversource for eight years performing complex steady state and dynamic interconnection studies across Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire as well as driving DER policy change throughout New England. Devon earned a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from Western New England University and is currently pursuing a Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration, both from the University of Connecticut.
Leo Y. Jiang received his Ph.D. degree from the Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA, in 2016. After completing his doctorate, he worked as a power system engineer at the GE Global Research center in Niskayuna, New York, where he was honored with GE’s Dushman Technology Excellence Award for his contribution to enhancing GE products. Dr. Jiang joined Clarkson University in 2020, where he has since focused on teaching and research in power engineering, and he has collaborated widely with industry partners including NYISO, NYPA, Avangrid, and GE in research projects for a smooth grid transition. Dr. Jiang is currently an Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Electric Power System Research at Clarkson University. Since May 2024, Dr. Jiang has also been a Principal Engineer at Avangrid, where he contributes to distribution planning, DER interconnection, planning criteria guidebook, and data-driven investment prioritization in grid modernization. Dr. Jiang is the 2024 NSF CAREER Awardee and his research interests include distribution automation, renewable integration, and computational methodologies for power system applications.
Moderator: Debbie Lew, Executive Director, ESIG
Registration Cost: FREE
Q&A Session: We will be using the Slido platform for Q&A. Please submit your questions and follow along during the event at this link.
