The Essential Grid Operations from Solar (EOS) project is a national laboratory-led research and industry engagement effort that aims to expedite the development and adoption of reliability standards for inverter-based resources (IBR) integrating into electric power systems. The EOS project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) in its Fiscal Year 2022-24 Lab Call and Fiscal Year 2025-27 Lab Call, building on many years of prior efforts of development of interconnection standards for solar and other renewable energy systems. It is a collaboration of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).
The EOS project leverages the labs’ expertise and thought leadership and actively convenes industry advisors and stakeholders in the standards development process. Additionally, this effort is coordinated with several other DOE offices under the Grid Modernization Initiative.
Objectives
Electric power grids that heavily rely on IBRs, like solar, wind, or batteries, work differently than traditional systems that have been operating for decades. As more IBRs connect to the grid, new grid reliability standards need to be developed to help ensure that the IBR technologies and their impacts to the grid are understood and accepted by the IBR facility operators, equipment manufacturers, and utilities. This will ultimately lead to large-scale deployment of solar, wind, and battery energy storage technologies in the rapid energy transition.
The EOS project aims to speed up power systems reliability standards development by addressing short-term standards needs while also considering long-term gaps for future standards. The scope of EOS encompasses standards topics for system stability, planning of bulk power and distribution systems, system protection, system inertia, and other technical issues. These standards will impact the design, manufacture, testing, and certification of equipment, as well as their performance, interconnection, and operation in the nation’s power grid.
Approach
The National Laboratories have the resources and expertise that enable them to conduct analysis, simulation, and testing of IBR equipment and control software. Through their leadership in standards development as well as close collaborations with advisors from utilities, grid operators, manufacturers, and regulatory bodies, the EOS project addresses industry needs for consensus-based technical requirements and knowledge about IBRs to ensure the wide adoption of essential grid reliability standards for inverter-based resources.
EOS supports the standards activities in these research areas:
- Bulk power system standards and IBR guidance for system reliability – Minimum performance criteria and uniform behavior by IBRs are critical to the reliability and security of the high-voltage transmission system.
- Critical updates to distributed energy resource (DER) interconnection, interoperability, and systems control standards – Standards for equipment performance are critical to manufacturers, their customers, local code officials, and many other stakeholders.
- Bulk power system IBR event analysis support to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) – Combined with their world-class expertise, the technical and economic neutrality of the national labs assures NERC and regulators of accurate analysis and unbiased recommendations.
- Validation of proposed DER/IBR performance capabilities – The correct implementation of a standard must be demonstrated by actual hardware in the lab and in field application.
- Stakeholder engagement, education, and industry implementation – A published standard is ineffective unless it is understood by stakeholders, accepted by industry, and adopted by regulators.
Resources
- Standard Development Organizations (SDOs) – this video highlights the benefits of participating in the IEEE Standards Association and related organizations.
- IEEE P2800.2: Test and Verification of Bulk Power System-connected Inverter-Based Resources – this document defines recommended practices for test and verification procedures that should be used to confirm plant-level conformance of IBRs interconnecting with bulk power systems in compliance with IEEE Std 2800.
- IEEE 2800-2022: Standard for Interconnection and Interoperability of Inverter-Based Resources (IBRs) Interconnecting with Associated Transmission Electric Power Systems – this standard establishes uniform technical minimum requirements for the interconnection, capability, and lifetime performance of IBRs interconnecting with transmission and sub-transmission systems.
- IEEE 1547-2018: IEEE Standard for Interconnection and Interoperability of Distributed Energy Resources with Associated Electric Power Systems Interface – This standard establishes criteria and requirements for interconnection of distributed energy resources with electric power systems and associated interfaces.
- EMT Bootcamp (with NERC and i2X) – Electromagnetic Transient Analysis is a prerequisite for connection of IBRs to the bulk power system. Slides, videos, and other training materials developed by SETO’s Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X) team are available online.
Learn more about systems integration research, other solar energy research in SETO, and current and former funding programs.