5.2 GW of solar resources at higher risk of tripping offline during grid disturbance: NERC

AI generated summary

Owners and operators of inverter-based resources (IBRs), including wind, solar, and storage, are not adhering to voluntary operational guidelines, which poses reliability risks to the bulk power system, according to a report by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC). The report states that around 5,200 MW of solar IBRs connected to the bulk electric system have voltage and frequency protection settings that put them at a higher risk of going offline during a grid disturbance. NERC recommends the development of two reliability standard projects to improve IBR performance and intends to issue an alert in early 2024 to gather more information from generators and transmission owners.

NERC has identified instances where IBRs have tripped offline or reduced their output in response to grid disturbances. However, the recommendations made in an alert issued in March were not implemented. The alert required owners of solar facilities on the bulk power system to provide site-specific information, but many generators did not have the requested data readily available. NERC recommends that all IBRs have parameterized protection settings that are outside of the "no trip zones" to ensure reliability. The report highlights the importance of implementing these recommendations to address reliability gaps.