D07 - Solar & Storage Hybrid Plants for High Renewables Grid

As solar, wind and storage resources become a significant proportion of the generation mix on the grid, this change to non-synchronous resources, makes it more critical that these resources can provide services required to maintain power grid stability and reliability. This growing demand is being met through smarter use of the inverter technology and plant controls deployed in such resources.

Several efforts have demonstrated that these Inverter-Based Resources (IBRs) can provide essential reliability services and flexibility that enhance the reliability of the power grid. Some of these services have now been put in commercial practice. A recent study has shown that this can potentially provide over $130M in annual benefits to the CAISO grid. New standards like IEEE P2800 are being developed to change how IBRs connect to the transmission system. The further evolution of inverters technology – “grid-forming” inverters – has the potential to address some of the longer-term power system challenges such as reduced inertia and low system strength and help transform the current grid into a future “digital” grid. A new paradigm is being set for developers and utilities connecting and planning for these resources to meet the grid integration challenges.