The Grid as a Hostage of Its History

Many ways that grid forming inverters will change power systems

Mark Ahlstrom, ESIG and NextEra Energy Resources

Energy Systems Integration Group

Charting the Future of Energy Systems Integration and Operations
Satirical humor – the Onion (www.theonion.com)

Energy Systems Integration Group

Charting the Future of Energy Systems Integration and Operations
Also from the Onion?

The 80 percent by 2030 goal will be fairly easy and affordable to meet with
currently available technologies… incremental cost of renewable energy
generation is now less than the embedded cost of existing fossil fuels.

Energy Systems Integration Group

Charting the Future of Energy Systems Integration and Operations
The future is complicated
Participants are increasingly digital, dynamic, intelligent
and programmable (i.e., increasingly non-synchronous)

Society is demanding cleaner energy, and we want

solutions that are fair, performance-based, system-optimal,
technology-agnostic, scalable, stable and reliable

Society is talking about percentages of annual energy, while

we think about instantaneous penetration percentages (or
perhaps connected capacity percentages for stability)

In most regions, ~20% of annual energy from wind results

in hours of over 60% instantaneous penetration (today!)
From Peter Jørgensen, Energinet

Energy Systems Integration Group

Charting the Future of Energy Systems Integration and Operations
What are the current challenges?
Wind and solar power plants (the old stuff)
• System and inverter control stability on weak grids with high penetrations
• Contributing to improved reliability and operation – a good citizen of the grid
• Protection, modeling, operation in the event of system separation, etc.
Storage and hybrid power plants (the current stuff)
• Large-scale battery storage and hybrid “solar + storage” power plants
• Aggregated distributed energy resources (DERs) interacting with bulk power system
Storage – What is it?
• We are used to generators and loads, but storage is both and neither
• Does a bit of storage enhance everything? Separate or embedded? Everywhere?

Energy Systems Integration Group

Charting the Future of Energy Systems Integration and Operations
A digital revolution – and what comes next?
Conventional synchronous generators are electro-mechanically coupled
to the grid—heavy generators spinning at the grid frequency

Non-synchronous resources are electronically coupled to the grid

• Inverters with very fast power electronics
• This is a digital revolution in power generation, with the ability to program the
behaviors that we desire, but the need to understand exactly what we want

Given enough of three key ingredients (energy, electronics, software)

we can emulate any real or imagined “machine” that we want or need

Energy Systems Integration Group

Charting the Future of Energy Systems Integration and Operations
 Using resources – the traditional approach
Solar + Wind + Wind + DER Innovative
Increasing complexity Storage Storage Solar Aggregation New Ideas
and rate of innovation,
moving toward digital
pace of innovation Battery Energy Storage Plant (much more extensive use of parameters)
Pmax=40MW, Pmin=-40MW, Ramp rate=20MW/s, Startup time=300ms, Max Energy Limit=160MWh, …
State of charge=80%, charge/discharge times, transition time between charging/discharging, …
(+ participate in regulation reserve, spinning reserve, online supplemental reserve, quick start, etc.)

Wind or PV Solar Plant Minor redefinition of existing

parameters, but largely forced
Pmax=forecast, Pmin=0, Ramp rate=100MW/min, Startup time=30 seconds, … into the existing models

Some parameters, but many assumptions and

Conventional Plant customizations are programmed into
energy management and market software
Pmax=500MW, Pmin=200MW, Ramp rate=5MW/min, Startup time=24hours, … (such as for natural gas combined cycle plants)

General Parameters Based on the world as we knew it

(mostly steam and hydro generators)
Cost curves, Pmax, Pmin, Ramp rate, Startup time, …

Energy Systems Integration Group

Charting the Future of Energy Systems Integration and Operations
 Phase 1: Universal Participation Model
Parameterize offers; Highest and best use of each resource
Idealized model of a highly flexible generator/load resource Software (EMS, MMS, etc.)
Technology-independent
Pmax, Pmin, Ramp rate, Startup time, Max Energy Limit, State of charge, … implements and tests for
qualifications and
this single resource type and
performance expectations Charge/discharge times, transition time between charging/discharging… full range of its parameters
Ancillary services: regulation reserve, spinning reserve, online supplemental reserve, quick start, …

Resource’s role is to create, Solar + Storage Plant

bid and perform based on
their offers
Gas CT Plant
Wind + Storage Plant
Coal Plant
Innovative Hydro Plant
Solar Plant A resource can use
parameters to create novel Dual Fuel Plant
Gas CC Plant and useful new resources
without needing new
resource types or Combined Heat/Power
Storage Plant participation models
Virtual Power Plant
Hydro Plant
Wind Plant DER Aggregate Plant

Energy Systems Integration Group

Charting the Future of Energy Systems Integration and Operations
 Phase 2: Grid Services
Technology-neutral grid services; Complexity moves toward service providers
The concept:
• In the longer run, can we also allow markets and system operations to focus on the services
that they really want rather than technology-specific variants that they are offered?
• How would they define these desired, high-level services from scratch today?
• Can we align services with the objectives of the system operator – maintaining a balanced
and reliable system across planned and unplanned conditions in an economic manner?
Questions to start pondering:
• Are there good ways for resources to provide desired higher-level grid services rather than
offer their “naked” hardware characteristics and make the market/system operator deal with
such technology-specific detail?
• Remember, we can emulate any real or imagined “machine” that we want or need
• We can create hybrid resources (whether physically at one site, or virtually via third-party services)
• Can we dramatically simplify market design and improve system operations by doing so?

Energy Systems Integration Group

Charting the Future of Energy Systems Integration and Operations
 A Great Example: Grid-Forming (GFM) Inverters
What this means for GFM invert research, development and tech transfer
GFM inverters are a key technology for the near future
GFM inverters are not just a microgrid and distribution system issue
• Bulk power system (BPS) deployment is arguably more urgently needed for societal goals
• Modeling and simulation tools are critically needed for BPS planning and operations
• Soon, non-synchronous capacity and instantaneous power will often exceed load

GFM inverters are central to innovation and emulation

• What is next beyond the obvious hybrid resources of today?
• Can we make any existing resource into a better and cleaner resource, perhaps one that
starts instantly and behaves as a more ideal resource (without non-convex behaviors)?
• Can we emulate resources that are “even better” than any resource today?

Energy Systems Integration Group

Charting the Future of Energy Systems Integration and Operations
Pathways – from here to where we want to be
We have what we need for the next few years (with good engineering)
• We can probably push existing technology up to 60-80% of annual energy
We have choices
• Do we replace synchronous inertia or embrace low-inertia operations?
• Do we replace short circuit current or embrace other protection methods?
• Do we change how we use frequency, capacity and reserves?
• How do we balance efforts for 100% clean electricity with electrification and broader
energy systems integration goals that span all energy vectors?
Broader strategic choices are important
• The big picture matters, so don’t underestimate the value (and challenges) of
understanding strategic alternatives, transition planning and scenario analysis

Energy Systems Integration Group

Charting the Future of Energy Systems Integration and Operations
The drivers are strong, change happens quickly
Driven by urgency
• Annual global rate of growth is ~60 GW wind, ~120 GW solar
Driven by society and utilities
• Commitments are typically 80% by 2030, 100% by 2050, or some variation thereof
• Pledges from cities (>119), states (HI, CA, NM, WA, DC), utilities (Xcel, Idaho Power, etc.)
• Legislation pending in MN, IL, MA, NJ, PA, NC, MI, CO
Driven by economics
• In January earnings call, NextEra CEO predicts that solar and wind plus storage will be
cheaper than coal, oil or nuclear, and that this will be massively disruptive to the
conventional fleet (unsubsidized, early in the 2020s)

Energy Systems Integration Group

Charting the Future of Energy Systems Integration and Operations
Please, please remember…
Communication is important
• Use consistent and accepted nomenclature
• Variable (not intermittent), NERC/FERC terms (VER, DER, non-synchronous, synchronous)
• Use progressive tone and language
• Researchers and engineers are here to solve challenges, so this is an exciting, “can do” time
• Avoid falling victim to the “out of context” headline in the press

Bring the industry along from the start

• To be effective, enhancements need to get into production and deployed at scale
• It takes time (and often does not provide a peer-reviewed publication), but it is critical to
bring others along through participating at places like ESIG, IEEE, EPRI, NERC, CIGRE, etc.
• Differences between transmission-connected and distribution-connected issues are
significant… different tech requirements, standards, jurisdiction, processes, tariffs, businesses
• Pathways matter – how do we get from “here” to “there” in our huge interconnected system?

This is critically important work, and it’s our future, so be careful with it!
Energy Systems Integration Group
Charting the Future of Energy Systems Integration and Operations
 Mark Ahlstrom
President, Energy Systems Integration Group
VP, Renewable Energy Policy, NextEra Energy Resources
mark.ahlstrom@nexteraanalytics.com
Twitter/LinkedIn @markahlstrom

www.esig.energy

Energy Systems Integration Group

Charting the Future of Energy Systems Integration and Operations
Energy Systems Integration Group

• Formed by DOE, EPRI, EEI, NRECA, APPA and utilities in 1989 as the
Utility Wind Interest Group

• Non-profit educational association that provides workshops, resources,

working groups and education

• Total system view of the energy systems we use today, focusing on the
combined strength of electricity, heat and fuel systems

• Committed to industry collaboration, forward thinking and knowledge sharing

• Supports engineers, researchers, technologists, policymakers and the public

with the transformation of energy systems in a way that is economic, reliable,
sustainable, thoughtful and collaborative

www.ESIG.energy