At the end of 2023 there were nearly 2,600 GW of generation and storage capacity in U.S. interconnection queues, twice as much capacity as is currently installed in the United States. More than 95% of the new generation in the queue is inverter-based resources (IBRs). While only about 20% to 30% of these wind, solar, and battery storage resources will materialize, they are an excellent source of cost-effective, clean electricity. However, there are multiple challenges on the path of interconnecting these new resources in an timely, cost-efficient, and reliable manner. ESIG’s Generator Interconnection Project Team is undertaking several efforts to help the industry resolve the interconnection queue backlog.
As one of the activities, ESIG supports the Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X) led by U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office and Wind Energy Technologies Office. This initiative convenes diverse stakeholders involved in the interconnection of solar energy, wind energy, and energy storage resources to facilitate peer-learning and knowledge exchange and inspire new interconnection ideas and capabilities. i2X is supported by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Summary of the ‘Panel on the Status of Inverter-Based Resource Standards Development and Integration Efforts’ at the IEEE Power and Energy Society General Meeting 2024
This document is a summary of a panel discussion held at the IEEE Power and Energy Society General Meeting in July 2024. The panel focused on the integration of inverter-based resources (IBRs) such as solar, wind, and battery energy storage into the bulk power system. The importance of the topic and the key points made during the discussion prompted ESIG’s decision to produce this summary and distribute to a broader audience. The panel included subject-matter experts from Vestas, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, EPE, Elevate Energy, and Dominion Energy.
Key points discussed included the reliability challenges of IBRs, modeling issues, and the development of standards for their effective integration, as required by recent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) orders. The main takeaways were:
- Interconnection study challenges: Current models and practices may lack the accuracy needed for interconnection studies, highlighting the need for stringent model validation and high-quality real-time data.
- A need to better understand IBR characteristics: IBRs differ fundamentally from traditional synchronous machines, making software control crucial for reliability. The diversity in IBR capabilities adds complexity to grid integration.
- The need for data and modeling improvements: Improved accuracy in IBR models is essential for planning and operational studies, especially as IBRs increasingly dominate the energy mix.
- IBR plant developers need for equipment manufacturers’ support: IBR plant developers need ongoing support from equipment manufacturers for accurate plant modeling and continuous updates to ensure grid stability.
- The need for harmonized standards for reliability: There’s a strong need for standardized interconnection requirements across North America to maintain grid reliability with IBRs, promoting efficiency and reducing project backlogs.
- Progress on technical guidance: The IEEE 2800-2022 standard provides detailed interconnection guidelines, with ongoing development of conformity assessment procedures for IBRs.
- Preparing for a high-IBR future: Projected increases in IBR deployment underscore the need for effective interconnection requirements, operational support, and collaborative efforts between developers, equipment manufacturers, and operators.
- NERC’s plan and timeline: The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) is developing standards under FERC Order No. 901, with an urgent timeline to address gaps in reliability and prevent large-scale outages.
- The need for collaboration for reliability: Coordinated efforts from industry players and regulators are crucial to ensure reliability during the shift to a high-IBR grid.
Brief for Decision-makers: IBR Interconnection Requirements; Status and Needs
ESIG’s new brief for decisionmakers, “IBR Interconnection Requirements: Status and Needs,” summarizes the current status of standards development and related efforts to improve interconnection standards for inverter-based resources (IBRs), and highlights ways that industry stakeholders can be involved.
More than 95% of the U.S. interconnection queue is wind, solar, and battery resources. But while these IBRs are an excellent source of cost-effective, clean electricity, the challenges and opportunities they bring in terms of grid reliability are very different from those of traditional fossil-fuel generation. IBR behavior and functionality is much more flexible and more complex, bringing increased performance diversity and modeling complexity.
The adoption of voluntary technical standards plays a major role in maintaining reliability during the energy transition. It can help inform policies, regulatory rulemaking, and other business decisions, as well as help streamline and expedite the interconnection process for new IBRs. This brief for decision-makers summarizes the current state of IBR performance specifications and standards, including:
- IEEE Standard 2800-2022, four adoption strategies and their advantages and disadvantages, and the status of continued industry discussion around updates to the standard
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Order 901 and North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) reliability standards
- Overarching efforts by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) i2X Forum for the Implementation of Reliability Standards (FIRST), which is focused on the cohesive implementation of solutions outlined in the i2X Roadmap related to standards and leverages insights from early adopters.
The rapid pace of the energy transition calls for proactive steps to mitigate risks, and industry stakeholders are encouraged to take active and well-thought-through steps toward the adoption of the IEEE 2800-2022 standard, provide input into the development of NERC standards, and get involved in the U.S. DOE’s FIRST project.
Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X)
ESIG supports the Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X) led by U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) and Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO). This initiative convenes diverse stakeholders involved in the interconnection of solar energy, wind energy, and energy storage resources to facilitate peer-learning and knowledge exchange and inspire new interconnection ideas and capabilities. i2X is supported by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).
Interconnecting solar energy, wind energy, and energy storage resources to the grid requires navigating complex regulatory structures and technical impact assessments, which vary by jurisdictional authorities of the distribution or transmission grid systems. Current interconnection procedures are not designed to accommodate the deployment of hundreds of gigawatts of solar and wind energy resources needed each year to meet clean energy goals.
For further information visit https://www.energy.gov/eere/i2x/about-interconnection-innovation-e-xchange-i2x
2022 – 2023 i2X work culminated in the Transmission Interconnection Roadmap published in April 2024. The roadmap identifies solutions to enable interconnection processes to meet the growing demand for renewable energy resources from the rapid, widespread clean energy transition. This roadmap provides the diverse group of interconnection stakeholders with near- to long-term solutions to address current challenges in transmission system interconnection.
i2X Forum for the Implementation of Reliability Standards for Transmission (i2X FIRST).
To ensure the reliable and secure operation of clean energy resources connected to the electric grid, a harmonized and comprehensive state of interconnection standards is needed. Relevant standards address such issues as inverter-based generator capabilities, expected performance, and cybersecurity requirements. Some of these standards, such as IEEE-2800, have been developed, but still need to be widely adopted and implemented. Other standards, as well as procedures for assessing and verifying plant conformity with them, have yet to be developed.
ESIG in collaboration with Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and LBNL is supporting the U.S. Department of Energy in launching the Forum for the Implementation of Reliability Standards for Transmission (i2X FIRST) to facilitate the adoption of new and recently updated standards relevant for interconnected clean energy resources like solar and wind energy. The Forum will convene industry stakeholders to enable easier and more harmonized implementation of these interconnection standards. i2X FIRST will address the solutions related to interconnection standards (4.2 to 4.9) that were identified in the DOE i2X Transmission Interconnection Roadmap.
i2X FIRST Meeting Schedule
May 28th, 2024, 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. ET: Introduction of Evolving Standards LandscapeJune 25th, 2024, 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. ET: IEEE2800 Ride Through RequirementsJuly 30th, 2024, 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. ET: IEEE2800 Ride Through Requirements, OEM PerspectiveAugust 20th, 2024, 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. ET:September 24th, 2024, 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. ET:October 24th, 2024 hybrid, full day, during ESIG Fall Workshop, Providence, RI: Conformity Assessment- November 26th, 2024, 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. ET:
- December 17th, 2024, 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. ET:
- January 28th 2025, 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. ET:
- February 25th 2025
- March 20th, 2025 hybrid full day event during ESIG Spring Workshop, Austin, Texas
Sign up for all future i2X FIRST Meetings here: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItceuorTsiErIC-HInpPbWuTUtrYQAuoM#/registration
Follow DOE i2X FIRST website: https://www.energy.gov/eere/i2x/i2x-forum-implementation-reliability-standards-transmission-first for meeting materials & recordings and for future meeting details & agendas