EPRI’s Post

On #NationalRenewableEnergyDay we recognize and acknowledge the progress made by increasing the capacity of carbon-free resources to power our global energy systems. Wind, solar, hydro and energy storage solutions continue to power the clean energy transition. Yet for every turbine, #solar panel and battery, we must also recognize the critical and less visible technology and analysis that enables the safe and reliable addition of more renewables to the grid. Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS) are deployed by electricity companies to safely integrate renewables onto the grid, and to date these companies have been implementing a revolving mix of types and capabilities based on availability. Among EPRI’s 2023 Technology Transfer Award winners is a group of companies who collaborated to compile a Distributed Energy Resource (#DER) “Gateway Requirements Document” to benefit energy companies working to connect renewable generation to local systems – and who face a myriad of hardware and software platforms and interfaces, operating systems, firmware, and functional and cyber security applications. Thanks to the efforts and contributions of employees from Consumers Energy, ´Électricité de France (EDF), Evergy, Exelon, Baltimore Gas and Electric, ComEd, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), New York Power Authority, NC ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORP, Salt River Project, Southern Company, and Tennessee Valley Authority, utilities now have a local platform that performs important functions allowing for the increased integration of clean energy. See all recent ED&CS Technology Transfer Award winners here: https://ow.ly/kYAh50QYAwQ. Congratulations to these companies and to their employees for leading an effort that will enable more efficient and uniform renewables integration and system management. See all of EPRI’s 2023 winners here: https://ow.ly/8knm50QYAwT #DERMS #Collaboration #TTA

Portfolio company Lunar Energy is a founding member of the new Mercury Consortium, which will be managed by EPRI: “This groundbreaking initiative aims to establish guidelines and best practices to accelerate the adoption and impact of clean energy technologies, such as EV chargers, heat pumps, solar panels, smart thermostats, and residential batteries. It also focuses on enabling utilities to leverage these technologies to make grids more resilient and efficient to operate, driving the transition to a sustainable energy future.” Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eqaYSRwY #portco #cleanenergy #utilities

In the journey toward a resilient, renewable future, grid-forming inverters (GFIs) are proving to be game-changers. As highlighted in EPRI's latest tutorial, GFIs are fundamental to maintaining stability in renewable-dominated grids, especially in isolated microgrids or power islands. These inverters go beyond traditional grid-following models; they establish and maintain grid stability autonomously, making them ideal for islanded systems or areas prone to disconnections. Our team at SMPnet has been at the forefront of these advancements. Working with Iberdrola, our Omega suite demonstrated how GFIs enhance power island resilience, allowing isolated grids to sustain frequency and voltage control without traditional synchronous generators while transitioning seamlessly between on-grid and off-grid modes. This capability is crucial for both planned and unplanned islanding, ensuring communities can maintain power even when disconnected from the main grid. Key Benefits of Grid-Forming Inverters (GFIs): ⚡ Islanded Operation: GFIs allow seamless transition to and operation in power islands, maintaining stability even during grid outages. ⚡ Grid Stability: They actively balance load and generation, vital for grids with low inertia and high penetration of renewable energy. ⚡Fault Resilience: With robust fault ride-through capabilities, GFIs help prevent outages and improve response in fault scenarios. ⚡Black Start Capabilities: GFIs can independently establish grid voltage and frequency, enabling grids to restart after blackouts. ⚡Future-Ready: Designed to support 100% inverter-based generation, GFIs are essential for achieving fully renewable power systems. If you’re exploring solutions for grid reliability or power islands, let’s connect and discuss how these technologies can drive progress! #GridFormingInverters #PowerIslands #RenewableEnergy #SmartGrids #SMPnet 🔗 Learn more about GFIs in EPRI’s tutorial: https://lnkd.in/duahdqrG 🔗 Read about our work with Iberdrola: https://lnkd.in/duhM6eUm

Energy storage resources (ESRs) are critical to our power grid—they allow for more flexibility, innovation, and #renewableenergy integration. Since their introduction into wholesale electricity markets in 2018, ESRs have reshaped our energy landscape.   Now, a new EPRI technical brief provides an insightful overview of energy storage’s impact on the wholesale market.   According to the report, a surge of energy storage participation has been observed—with top applications including capacity, frequency regulation, arbitrage, and spinning reserve. However, challenges remain, especially when it comes to State of Charge management, capacity valuation, and interconnection processes.   Check out EPRI’s latest brief to learn more about the transformative impact of #energystorage on the market: https://lnkd.in/euzAaA3i

The energy transition is accelerating the adoption of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to complement wind and solar power generation. Ensuring the reliability of energy storage is crucial in this shift. The EPRI white paper provides valuable insights and is a great starting point for understanding these dynamics. Additionally, operational resilience against lightning should not be overlooked. Ensuring that BESS systems can withstand such events is vital for maintaining a consistent and reliable energy supply. #EnergyTransition #BESS #RenewableEnergy #EnergyStorage #OperationalResilience #LightningProtection #EPRI #WindPower #SolarPower #SustainableEnergy

EPRI is examining market developments in the wholesale and ancillary markets in the European Union (EU) and Ireland with the increase of variable renewable generation. The EU has pledged a renewable energy target of 42.5% of gross energy consumption by 2030. This increase in intermittent generation from solar and wind will create challenges to grid stability, in addition to increased demand on the grid from data centers and electrification of transportation and heat. EPRI Technology Innovation takes a closer look at the European Union’s Market Transformation to Support the Energy Transition in this publicly available report: https://lnkd.in/e93ducki

To unlock their full potential of energy storage, standardizing the operational aspects of grid-connected and renewable energy storage systems is an essential step. EPRI, working with hundreds of stakeholders since 2021, has led efforts towards a consensus-based taxonomy defining storage behaviors and how they’re communicated amongst energy providers. And now, in the latest edition of "Energy Storage System Taxonomy of Operating Behaviors,” power companies, developers, and storage owners inch even closer to the full functionality of storage systems within our grid. 🔋 Discover the future of energy storage and steps towards its seamless integration in EPRI’s latest report. 📝 https://lnkd.in/e6F4ZYGd

The evolving needs of our grid are met with evolving solutions. Energy storage, for instance, is becoming a key resource for maintaining grid stability and integrating renewable energy. But due to its relative infancy, important questions about energy storage reliability, capacity, and overall lifespan are difficult to answer. Knowing the key role energy storage will play in our clean energy future, EPRI researchers sought to address these challenges in a new report, “Pathways to Improved Energy Storage Reliability.” 📝 Drawing from decades of experience with legacy utility assets and interviews from power companies, EPRI presents an actionable framework that refines performance analytics and reliability assessments around energy storage. With the report, operators can have a greater understanding of energy storage performance and reliability, equipping tools and practices to optimize this invaluable future asset.  https://lnkd.in/dpcuEVc9

"The #ElectricPower system, once dominated by traditional synchronous generation, is experiencing a shift toward an increased share of power electronics interfaced generation. This shift is mainly due to increased integration of variable renewable energy resources, such as wind and solar photovoltaic, which use power electronic based inverters. Several R&D efforts in the industry are presently investigating the challenges of grid operation with high levels of inverter based resources (#IBR), however whether or not a bulk power system can operate and how it could operate with 100% generation from IBR, i.e. without any synchronous generation, remains an open question. In such a scenario, maintaining the reliability of the bulk power system would require complex planning and operation paradigms. This project investigates the operation and associated reliability implications of an all inverter-interfaced generation system, given the new operational features and challenges of such a system (e.g. no inertia, no synchronizing torque, limited short circuit capacity, no physical link between load/generation and frequency, etc.)." #Energy #Electricity