(Credit: Smarter Grid Solutions)
The DOE’s National Renewable Energy Lab has chosen Smarter Grid Solutions to establish a Strata Grid Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) at the department’s Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF).
The ESIF works to develop and deploy clean energy technology along with reliant energy distribution systems. The DERMS software will help with utility control by monitoring distributed devices from small residential systems to the grid at large. It allows for enhanced control and visibility for utilities such that operators can manage incoming renewable energy resources.
“DERMS-related research is core to the integrated, multi-disciplinary work happening at ESIF,” said Sarah Williams, research project manager for ESIF. “We have confidence we are developing a powerful toolbox with SGS to address both existing and future use cases.”
Use cases of the DERMS system include autonomous operation and coordination of modern grid devices, customer engagement through bidirectional communication with utilities and energy market operations, and overall improved grid planning and services.
DERMS Research and the Renewable Energy Grid
The ESIF has been working towards renewable energy-to-grid integration in order to allow energy derived from solar, wind, and storage systems to reach remote areas of the main grid. Researchers focus on integrating large-scale renewable energy resources into the electric grid in order to support the clean energy transition. Researching and improving DERMS technology helps ensure that the U.S. grid can best handle power flow, shift energy load, and meet emergency demand.
Smarter Grid Solutions’ DERMS already manages 1.2 gigawatts of renewable energy generation, storage, and flexible load in North America, Europe, and Asia. The software has also allowed for about $400 million in cost savings for customers.
“SGS is excited to partner with NREL on their research in the DERMS realm,” said Jon Grooters, director of utility solutions at SGS. “With NREL’s research leadership and SGS’ industry-leading DERMS solutions, we expect to see very interesting and exciting learnings from this partnership.”
Continued expansion of the clean energy grid will contribute immensely to energy security, climate protection, and sustainable economic growth for the U.S. Studies show that a grid powered by 80% to 100% clean energy is possible by 2050 thanks to current technologies, such as those developed at ESIF.