Understanding DERMS

Abstract

With the rapid deployment of distributed energy resources (DER), there is a high level of interest in how these devices can be integrated with utility operations at all levels for management and monitoring purposes. This integration is challenging in that the number of devices is high and that ownership is often that of a customer or third party. Industry stakeholders first began to address DER integration by identifying and standardizing the functions that individual DER can perform autonomously, a distributed manner. Device-level functions like “voltage ride-through”, “volt-var”, “frequency-watt”, and “dynamic reactive current” were designed and documented and are now supported by communication standards and grid codes worldwide, making grid-supportive capabilities mandatory for new interconnections. This was a first step. A necessary step, but not sufficient to achieve end-to-end integration of DER with the grid. A substantial gap was recognized between the granular controls of individual DER and the type of organized services needed for grid support, integration with distribution management systems (DMS) and grid operations. In 2012, stakeholders began working to define a common set of grid-supportive services and means to integrate large quantities of DERs into utility systems in a way that is practical, sustainable and extensible. Because multiple parties could be involved; utilities, DMS providers, DER aggregators and facility/microgrid controller providers are working together.