Mid-Atlantic Operator Teams Up With DOE to Study Distributed Resource Integration

PJM Interconnection LLC is joining forces with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory to study the integration of distributed energy resources, such as rooftop solar, into the operator’s grid, according to an April 2 press release.

• The Argonne laboratory will be supporting PJM’s Distributed Energy Resource Ride-Through Task Force in developing guidelines for so-called “ride through” and “trip” requirements.
• Prior to the arrival of distributed resources, the distribution system was designed for one-way power flow, from power plants to consumers. With the advent of consumer-generators creates a new set of challenges that the agencies want to tackle.
• According to the grid operator, a resource “rides through” when it can withstand a power disruption while remaining connected to the grid. The ability to ride through a disruption helps keep power flowing reliably. If a resource is unable to withstand a disruption, it must “trip” offline, which protects against damage. The collaboration hopes to determine the parameters around when these distributed generators should ride through an event or should trip offline.
• PJM recently submitted a proposal with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to revise its energy and reserve market rules, amid growing variability of power demand driven by the penetration of home solar and other distributed resources.