Grid Management Working Group Update

The ‘utility only’ Grid Management Group has been formed with the purpose of bringing together grid operations technology and business leaders from utilities to discuss key operational concepts/capabilities and architecture principles relating to future Grid Control and Operational technologies needed to manage a more complex grid due to the rapid rise of DERs. The group is chaired by Aleksi Paaso, ComEd and John Bubb, SCE.

A series of monthly meetings have been scheduled around various topics with a focus on the grid of the future and the impact with high penetration of DER.  Meetings will rotate between both coasts, to be hosted by various utilities. Dial-in information will be provided for each of the meetings, but it is strongly encouraged that members attend live, due to the nature of the meetings.

4th Meeting Hosted by PG&E June 23^rd at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose

High penetration of DER has led to the need for more developments in protection control, so the SGIP Grid Management Working Group met in San Jose on June 23 to address the issue. In an all-day meeting, 20 SGIP utility members discussed adaptive protective functions with the output objective of generating requirements that can be used in future sourcing or roadmap plans.

Pacific Gas & Electric Company hosted the meeting in the Fairmont San Jose Hotel. The meeting goals were to:

• Develop a shared understanding of the systems, processes, and optimizations needed for protection control with high penetration of DER
• Identify and discuss the technical, operational and business requirements of protection controls with high penetration of DER

The requirements discussed in the meeting focused on:

• Adaptive Protection
• Circuit reconfiguration
• Identifying violations and clearing
• Protection coordination with changing system conditions
• Handling of device failures (switching)

The next Grid Management Meeting will be on August 25, 2016 and will focus on microgrid functions/operations. To register for this meeting, click here.

About the Grid Management Working Group

 This committee brings together Grid Operations technology and business leaders from utilities to discuss key operational concepts/capabilities and architecture principles relating to future Grid Control & Operational technologies. Advancements in these topics are needed to manage a more complex grid due to the rapid rise of DERs.

If you’re interested in joining the Grid Management Working Group or any other SGIP committee, click here for the SGIP Committee Registration. To see a list of all committees with descriptions, click here.