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The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is seeking comments on proposed “ride-through” reliability standards for inverter-based resources, called IBRs, such as wind, solar and battery systems.
FERC is proposing to approve two North American Electric Reliability Corp. reliability standards dealing with the ability of IBRs to ride through frequency and voltage excursions like faults on the transmission system instead of tripping offline, according to FERC. The agency is also seeking more information on exemptions for existing IBRs.
“Generator ride-through is a foundational essential reliability service,” NERC said in its ride-through proposal. “Ensuring fault ride-through capability enables dynamic reactive power support, frequency response, and other services.”
NERC has been tracking a growing list of IBRs tripping offline because of grid disturbances, including an event in 2022 when about 2.5 GW of solar in Texas unexpectedly went offline. The sudden loss of generation poses reliability risks, according to NERC.
The grid watchdog organization said its proposal establishes a clear understanding of what it means for a generator to ride-through a disturbance; establishes voltage and frequency ride-through criteria for IBRs; and ensures that post-disturbance ramp rates return to pre-disturbance levels.
The proposal would take effect on the first day of the quarter that starts 12 months after it is approved by FERC.
The proposal is part of a suite of IBR standards that FERC in 2023 directed NERC to develop. They cover IBR-related data sharing, model validation, planning and operational studies, and performance requirements, FERC said.
FERC is bolstering standards for IBRs amid a surge in wind, solar and storage development. Those resources use inverters to convert the direct current electricity they produce to alternating current electricity used on the grid.
Synchronous generators, such as natural gas-fired power plants, typically ride through grid disturbances while IBRs must be programmed to do so.
FERC will take comments on the proposed standards for 60 days after a notice is published in the Federal Register.
Here are five other takeaways from the meeting.
Rosner highlights NERC reliability report. In its Long-Term Reliability Assessment released Tuesday, NERC projected that half of the United States is at risk of power shortfalls in the next decade under average summer and winter conditions, FERC Commissioner David Rosner said during the agency’s open meeting.
“Everyone in the room knows that this is not our first warning, and I think we all agree that this is an unacceptable risk,” Rosner said. “We need every last drop of efficiency we can get out of the current system. We need to keep a lot of the resources on the grid today, and we need to build to take advantage of the wealth of natural resources of all types that this country is so lucky to have … We need to make sure that our decision sends signals to invest in the right resources with the right attributes in the right places in the country where they’re needed.”
Rosner laments decision approving removal of 900-MW project from PJM queue. FERC on Thursday rejected a complaint by Urban Grid Solar Projects over the PJM Interconnection’s decision to remove a 900-MW solar project in Virginia from its interconnection queue. Due to a mistake, Urban Grid, a Houston-based company owned by Brookfield Renewable U.S., missed a deadline for filing a security deposit, but argued it was able to the next day.
“We’ve got a 900-MW generator that the grid operator removed from its queue at a time when the grid is facing dire warnings about resource adequacy,” Rosner said, noting that he concurred with the decision. “But when you take a step back from the specific details of the tariff … I think the outcome here is really hard to explain. Simply put, the interconnection process is failing us when it forces a generator that’s been in the queue for five years to go all the way back to the beginning of the line when it missed a deadline by a few hours, when they were willing, the next morning, when the bank opened, to send more than ten million in a security deposit to the grid operator.”
Chang concerned about ‘local’ transmission. Pointing to a settlement agreement with Public Service Electric and Gas that FERC approved earlier this month, FERC Commissioner Judy Chang said “this case highlights and I’ve been informed by many state regulators, including my dear colleague [Commissioner Mark Christie,] that many transmission projects are built with little or no transparency and oversight.”
Chang said she has been hearing concerns about local transmission projects from many different regions. “I am interested in hearing from stakeholders and others on ways that the commission can ensure transmission investments are cost effective and have adequate oversight, including enhanced transparency requirements,” Chang said. “This is really important going forward.”
A coalition of ratepayer advocates and groups representing large energy users on Thursday filed a complaint at FERC seeking to bar transmission owners from independently planning local transmission projects above 100-kV.
FERC approves Allete and Algonquin Power sales. FERC dismissed concerns raised by consumer advocates and others and approved a $6.2 billion deal under which Allete, a utility company based in Duluth, Minnesota, will be sold to the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Global Infrastructure Partners, which is owned by BlackRock. Allete expects to close on the deal in mid-2025, subject to approval by Minnesota and Wisconsin utility regulators.
FERC also approved LS Power’s up to $2.5 billion purchase of Algonquin Power, which owns about 3,000 MW of wind and solar assets – mainly in the United States – as well as an 8,000 MW pipeline of wind, solar, battery energy storage and renewable natural gas projects.
RENEW Northeast wins ISO-NE cost complaint. In response to a complaint brought two years ago by renewable energy advocacy group RENEW Northeast, FERC on Thursday said it was unjust for New England transmission owners to require interconnection customers to pay for operating and maintenance costs for network upgrades. RENEW offered evidence its members’ projects face significant network upgrade O&M costs that were not directly attributable to the projects, FERC said.
Also, FERC agreed with RENEW that ISO-NE’s definition of “interested party” was too narrow because it deprived the group access to information related to the region’s formula rates. FERC directed New England transmission owners to revise the definition of interested party in their formula rate protocols to include but not be limited to customers under the tariff, state utility regulatory commissions, consumer advocacy agencies and state attorneys general.
