Here’s Looking at You, Grid: Monthly Digest of Insights Shared by Your Peers in the Energy Central Grid Network – January 14, 2022

The grid is often called the largest and most complex machine that engineers have ever created, and that was before the advent of smart grid technology, modernized solutions, and more taking place across T&D infrastructure all the time today. Keeping up with the developments on grid technology, associated grid markets, and appropriate regulations and policies can be a full-time job, but with the aid of the Grid Network on Energy Central (composed of the Grid Professionals Group and the Transmission Professionals Group) you can be privy to the best shortcut to stay up to date on the news, musings, and debates shaping the grid today.

Front-of-meter (FOM) energy storage interconnection case study

Craig Lewis

Link to original article: https://energycentral.com/c/gr/front-meter-fom-energy-storage-interconnection-case-study

In these days of rapid expansion of new technologies and new programs serving to modernize the grid with breakthrough tools, lessons learned from the early players who are forging new ground is so critical. That’s why this study posted by Craig Lewis, Executive Director of Clean Coalition, caught my eye, as energy storage is undisputedly one of the biggest new solutions that will be taking over the grid in coming years. There will be hurdles and pitfalls as this change happens, so I was eager to read more about this case study that Craig discussed—see his detailed article that highlights the real world example with the Valencia Gardens Energy Storage Project in California.

DER and DERMS Working Together for a Smarter Energy Future

Rick Joyce

Link to original article: https://energycentral.com/c/gr/der-and-derms-working-together-smarter-energy-future

Speaking of modern grid tools, distributed energy and the solutions needed to oversee and manage those distributed resources are among the most pressing areas in the utility sector. DER and DERMS, specifically, fall into the category of ‘this is happening whether or not you’re leading it’ for utility executives, and so the best advice really is to get in front of these trends and embrace them. Rick Joyce, the VP of Customer Solutions at mPrest Inc. highlights specifically how they are being used for a ‘smarter’ grid moving forward, and these are insights all decisionmakers should readily embrace.

The Impact of Electrification of Transportation

Alan Ross

Link to original article: https://energycentral.com/SGRA/impact-electrification-transportation  

For grid operators, planning for the trend of EVs (and not just the odd Tesla here and there—but fleet-wide electrification that’s around the corner) is of the utmost importance. This transition will represent a borderline unthinkable increase in power demand regularly on the grid, so we’re thankful to have someone like Alan Ross—President of the Electric Power Reliability Alliance—sharing with us how he sees this transition going.

Will There be Sufficient Blackstart Resources to Recover from a Major Electric Outage? FERC Needs to Get the Facts

Steven Naumann

Link to original article: https://energycentral.com/c/tr/will-there-be-sufficient-blackstart-resources-recover-major-electric-outage-ferc

In terms of grid priorities, modernization and new tools may take all the sexy headlines, but reliability of existing systems is even more critical. Ensuring that customers can continue to depend on reliable power, even amid major events like storms or equipment failure, is job #1 of the utility sector. Steven Naumann of Protect Our Power investigates how ready the grid system is to recover from major outage and calls out the regulatory bodies like FERC to have information and accountability towards these topics.

This wraps up another edition of ‘Here’s Looking at You, Grid.’ Check back in this spot in four weeks to see what submissions have captured the attention of our community. And if you think there are stories I’m missing—let me know in the comments, or better yet submit an article on those stories so it can be included in the next issue. Make sure you don’t miss out on these shared insights in the future.

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