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Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is working with GE on a pilot project on effective Distributed Energy Resource Management (DERM) in California. The aim is to maintain reliable operation of the distribution network with the increase in distributed energy through solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage.
Increased distributed energy levels in California will create operational challenges both for utilities and grid operators.
PG&E owns and operators over 2,700 MW distributed generation capacity. The utility’s Californian pilot project seeks to maximise flexibility of distributed power to mitigate operational impacts on the distribution grid. To that end, it evaluates the optimal use of solar PV and battery storage, in conjunction with smart inverter technologies.
“By optimally matching energy produced locally from DERs with consumption, utilities are able to ensure grid reliability and power quality while reducing the need for additional grid reinforcement and capital expenditure and lowering energy costs for end users,” GE stated.
GE’s Grid Solutions business will provide its DERMS software platform that will enable PG&E to forecast and optimise its decentralised power sources. This will be achieved through real-time monitoring and coordinated operation of DER assets. Communication of the platform is based on IEEE 2030.5 standards which enables coordination with third party aggregators.
Prior to the DER project in California, GE already carried out the NiceGrid smart solar district demonstration project together with Enedis in France, as well as integrated smart distribution and inverter projects together with Duke Energy and National Renewable Energy Labs in the US.
