GE Digital (GE) (General Electric) Case Studies Large Investor Owned Utility Manages Renewable Energy on the Grid

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	Large Investor Owned Utility Manages Renewable Energy on the Grid GE Digital (GE) (General Electric)

Large Investor Owned Utility Manages Renewable Energy on the Grid

GE Digital (GE) (General Electric)

Technology Category	Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
Applicable Industries	Utilities
Applicable Functions	Facility Management Maintenance
Use Cases	Energy Management System Remote Asset Management
Services	System Integration
Challenge	A large American utility owner was experiencing a substantial increase in the penetration of distributed generation within three of the southern states that it served. The nature of renewable energy is volatile and during low load periods, feeders with high photovoltaic (PV) penetration could exhibit reverse power flows, potentially causing problems with protection systems. Intermittent solar production could also result in voltage swings, increasing the cycling of regulation equipment at feeders and distribution substations. Read More
About Customer	The customer is a large investor-owned utility company based in the United States. The company operates in three southern states and has been experiencing a significant increase in the penetration of distributed generation. The company's grid has been dealing with the volatile nature of renewable energy, particularly during low load periods when feeders with high photovoltaic (PV) penetration could exhibit reverse power flows. This has the potential to cause problems with protection systems. Additionally, intermittent solar production could result in voltage swings, leading to increased cycling of regulation equipment at feeders and distribution substations. Read More
Solution	The utility collaborated with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and GE on two pilots. The first leveraged sensors, energy boxes and smart meters to integrate DER with the current Distribution Management System (DMS) in order to enhance optimal performance of the emerging distribution system. The second identified and mitigated challenges with distributed solar PV using smart inverters and volt-VAr control. The project included detailed system modeling, combined with Power-Hardware-in-the-Loop verification to compare local vs. centralized management of voltage with utility-scale inverters located in the utility’s service territory. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems

Applicable Industries

Utilities

Applicable Functions

Facility Management

Maintenance

Use Cases

Energy Management System

Remote Asset Management

Services

System Integration

Challenge

A large American utility owner was experiencing a substantial increase in the penetration of distributed generation within three of the southern states that it served. The nature of renewable energy is volatile and during low load periods, feeders with high photovoltaic (PV) penetration could exhibit reverse power flows, potentially causing problems with protection systems. Intermittent solar production could also result in voltage swings, increasing the cycling of regulation equipment at feeders and distribution substations.

About Customer

The customer is a large investor-owned utility company based in the United States. The company operates in three southern states and has been experiencing a significant increase in the penetration of distributed generation. The company's grid has been dealing with the volatile nature of renewable energy, particularly during low load periods when feeders with high photovoltaic (PV) penetration could exhibit reverse power flows. This has the potential to cause problems with protection systems. Additionally, intermittent solar production could result in voltage swings, leading to increased cycling of regulation equipment at feeders and distribution substations.

Solution

The utility collaborated with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and GE on two pilots. The first leveraged sensors, energy boxes and smart meters to integrate DER with the current Distribution Management System (DMS) in order to enhance optimal performance of the emerging distribution system. The second identified and mitigated challenges with distributed solar PV using smart inverters and volt-VAr control. The project included detailed system modeling, combined with Power-Hardware-in-the-Loop verification to compare local vs. centralized management of voltage with utility-scale inverters located in the utility’s service territory.

Impact #1	Delivery of a Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) to manage and mitigate the effects of growing distributed, renewable generation and storage capacity on the electrical system.
Impact #2	Successful completion of two pilot projects in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and GE.
Impact #3	Integration of DER with the current Distribution Management System (DMS) using sensors, energy boxes, and smart meters.

Impact #1

Delivery of a Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) to manage and mitigate the effects of growing distributed, renewable generation and storage capacity on the electrical system.

Impact #2

Successful completion of two pilot projects in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and GE.

Impact #3

Integration of DER with the current Distribution Management System (DMS) using sensors, energy boxes, and smart meters.

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Overview

Large Investor Owned Utility Manages Renewable Energy on the Grid

Operational Impact