“We’re looking at using more precise data about how, when, and where customer DERs are impacting our power network to better manage our infrastructure and can manage customer resources within our current network constraints,” said Gary Carleton, Senior DSO Project Engineer at WEL Networks.
In the past, utilities couldn’t accurately measure and monitor what DER’s contributed to the grid. Now, advanced technologies are providing the tools needed to address capacity and management, and not a moment too soon. The North American Energy Reliability Corporation estimated that two-thirds of North America was at risk of blackouts during periods of extreme demand. Grid operators are gearing up for peak times and customers are investing in DER’s, that allow customers to control their consumption, like smart thermostats, batteries, solar, and EV’s. In fact, the expected DER adoption for 2025-2030 represents an investment of $290 billion to $505 billion a year in EVs and $50 billion to $105 billion per year in other technologies. A network of DERs or Virtual Power Plant (VPP) can be made up of flexible building load, battery storage systems, on-site generation and EV’s.
What are the benefits? Winter Storm Elliot caused many generation plants in Mid-Atlantic to fail, which led to rolling blackouts. However, one VPP delivered enough energy to prevent the blackouts at 1.7 million homes during the same storm.
Doctor of Philosophy in Energy and Resources at University of California, Phillippe K. Phanivong’s dissertation, Bridging the Gap in Distributed Energy Resource Operations, collected data from simulated smart meters and developed a voltage estimator to manage congestion through an optimized DER dispatch approach. The results point to a need for a new approach. Will the growing number of DER’s impact congestion management and lower the risk of blackouts?
