Grid Standards and Codes

As more distributed energy resources such as rooftop solar and electric vehicles connect to the grid, our energy system faces changing cybersecurity threats. These new interconnected and communications-enabled technologies call for laboratory-tested standards that are proven to protect against dynamic and diverse threats. NREL works across all industry, researcher, and stakeholder groups to advance cybersecurity standards for distributed energy resources and modern energy systems.

Sharp increases in photovoltaics (PV) adoption have given a sense of urgency to the standards development process. By providing leadership and direction for the full revision of interconnection standards IEEE 1547, IEEE 1547.1, and UL 1741, the Accelerating Systems Integration Standards team is addressing this urgency. The goal of this work is to accelerate the development of interconnection and interoperability requirements to take advantage of new and emerging distributed energy resource technologies, such as grid-supportive inverters and energy storage. New conformance test procedures in UL 1741 SA and IEEE 1547.1 are being validated at NREL's Energy System Integration Facility. NREL has also developed extensive resources and educational materials to educate industry and the public about IEEE 1547 and related standards.

As PV, wind, and energy storage dominate new energy generation project queues on the transmission and subtransmission systems, the need for a performance standard for bulk power system-connected, inverter-based resources has become urgent. To fill this gap, NREL is providing leadership and technical input for interconnection standards IEEE 2800 and IEEE 2800.2. The IEEE 2800 standards have the potential to be as impactful as IEEE 1547-2003—the foundational standard in interconnection of distributed energy resources.

The goal of this project is to develop streamlined and accurate methods for New York utilities to determine interconnection requirements for PV installations. The project requires collaboration with the New York Department of Public Service, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, New York Power Authority, and New York investor-owned utilities and provides technical expertise, research, and testing methods to address grid-integration issues in New York State. Methods include providing analysis for resolving interconnection issues, developing fast screens, and identifying solutions following the paths of states such as California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts.