An international body representing grid operators has articulated some of its key principles for dealing with the growth of distributed energy resources and determining how they should be co-ordinated with the bulk system.
The IRC/RTO Council (IRC), which is based in the US but comprises some Canadian system operators including the IESO, published a report in March 2017. The document articulates the IRC’s belief that, “A general operational data framework should be developed, where increasingly
comprehensive operational data from the distribution system is provided as DER penetrations reach different thresholds.”
The IRC went on to say the following:
“The IRC…
• Recognizes that there must be some form of coordinating influence in a high-DER future to help ensure reliability.
• Will continue to facilitate a continent-wide dialogue on the appropriate means by which mass DERs and the bulk electricity system can mutually benefit each other. This dialogue should focus on effective transfer of data across the transmission/distribution system interface while allowing maximum flexibility for suitable local policies and market mechanisms to develop.
• Believes due consideration should be given by jurisdictions in which Distribution System Operators (DSOs) are implemented and require such entities to conform to a sufficiently rigorous set of standards that allows for the safe interaction between DSOs, non-utility actors and the bulk electricity system.
• Supports policies to ensure that if variability at the distribution level results in a risk to system reliability ISO/RTOs have appropriate authority over DERs — or otherwise isolate their impact from the bulk electricity system.”
See also related story “LDC-Grid co-ordination becoming a hot topic”, IPPSO FACTO, June 2017.