How Distributed Energy Resources are Impacting Transmission Operations

ALAMO, Calif., Sept. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- GridBright announced today the completion of its new report on how distributed energy resources (DERs) will gradually impact transmission grid and market operations as penetration grows within the underlying distribution systems.  The report also recommends strategies and solutions for dealing with those challenges.

The report, "Impacts on Transmission System Operations when Integrating Distributed Energy Resources" is the result of a year-long collaborative research study by GridBright and CEATI International.  The research was sponsored and supported by the Members of CEATI Power System Planning & Operation Program, including Alberta Electricity System Operator, the Bonneville Power Administration, the New York Power Authority, and San Diego Gas & Electric.

DERs are small-scale generation, storage, and demand response technologies installed by electric customers to reduce their utility electric bill.  Larger scale DERs can also be owned and operated by utilities or third-party service providers and connected directly to the distribution network.  The penetration rates of DERs continue to grow in number and magnitude, impacting utilities in unprecedented ways.

The study report identifies the major impacts on transmission operations when integrating DERs, and outlines appropriate solutions for each.  The solutions range from simple technology upgrades, to more dramatic system architecture and work process changes to support higher DER penetration rates.  The final 154-page report also provides utilities with a maturity model, a gap assessment framework, and a roadmap to guide operational improvement strategies.  It is a follow-up to one published by the team last year – "Impacts of DER on Distribution Operations".  Summary presentations of these reports are available at GridBright.com.

"Our research results provide a comprehensive DER integration framework that can be applied to the unique situation of each utility to identify the steps they should take to get better at managing DER," said Alex Mogilevsky, the T&D Program Director at CEATI.

GridBright and CEATI continue to collaborate in DER integration research by applying the DER integration framework to specific utilities in North America.  GridBright CTO Travis Rouillard will present a summary of the research at the General Meeting of CEATI in Anaheim, California on October 1, 2018.

About GridBright, Inc. | GridBright is the grid management specialists of the utility industry.  GridBright helps the electric industry improve grid operations through smarter solutions for managing resiliency, distributed resources, and renewables.  To learn more, visit GridBright.com.

About CEATI | The Centre for Energy Advancement through Technological Innovation (CEATI) is an international user-driven organization committed to providing technology solutions to its electrical utility participants, who are brought together to collaborate and act jointly to advance the industry through the sharing and developing of practical and applicable knowledge. To learn more, visit CEATI.com. 

SOURCE GridBright, Inc.

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