AUSTIN, Texas — The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and Texas Reliability Entity (Texas RE) recommend Texas implement higher operating standards for solar power transmission.
Data from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas shows solar power made up 6% of the Texas power grid over the course of 2022.
In June 2022, a solar photovoltaic (PV) inverter tripped in Odessa, TX. It caused a cascade of power loss across West Texas.
A similar event happened in 2021 leading NERC to write this event “illustrates the need for immediate industry action to ensure reliable operation of the bulk power system with the ever-increasing penetrations of inverter-based resources (IBRs).”
In a joint disturbance report, NERC and Texas Reliability Entity (Texas RE) staff wrote the disturbance shows a growing risk to the reliability of the power grid.
“While solar PV penetration was only at 15% of the total generation mix for this event, the size of the event nearly exceeded system design criteria. Future solar PV penetrations of much higher levels are expected in the near-term, and they could pose a significant risk of widespread outages if performance issues are not mitigated,” the report read.
In part, the NERC and Texas RE key findings and recommendations show that needs include:
- A comprehensive model quality review
- Elevate the risk profile for performance issues of inverter-based resources
- A comprehensive generator ride-through standard based on performance
- Improve commissioning practices for inverter-based resources
- Electromagnetic transient (EMT) modeling requirements