IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - March/April 2022 - 46

The substation transformer will
experience backfeed beyond
its allowable limit with added PVs.
40-MVA
Transformer
High-speed, low-latency
Communications
reliable communications are
needed for DERMS operation.
figure 4. A DERMS implementation to mitigate a transformer overload.
coordinates DER operations. Such control can be achieved
through a DER management system (DERMS).
DERMSs are deployed for various purposes, many of
which manage DERs on the distribution system. With these
capabilities, DERMSs enable deferred or avoided capital
costs. DERMSs can be leveraged to create the level of visibility
for DERs needed for real-time grid operations, provide
visibility of the grid constraints, forecast and monitor when the
constraints may be reached, and manage DERs accordingly.
To demonstrate the future value, ComEd deployed its first
DERMS in 2021. The system was designed to mitigate the
overloading of a substation transformer due to a higher level
of PV and wind integration in a particular area. Figure 4 illustrates
the communications topology of ComEd's first DERMS
demonstration. This DERMS monitors the transformer loading,
DER output, and system conditions. It sends signals to
manage DERs if any system violations occur. The same control
principles apply to realize the local grid DER value: a
system constraint is identified, its loading is constantly monitored,
and when the overload occurs or is projected, the DER
is dispatched to mitigate the overload. In ComEd's demonstration,
the overload was caused by the simultaneous generation
of both PV and wind during low system loading, but the same
principles apply when overloading may be due to increased
loading on a feeder or at a substation. Communication and
management capabilities are vital in terms of the value to be
realized from the DER installations to avoid or defer traditional
grid investments.
Conclusion
Designing a VDER methodology is only the beginning. Additional
development is required to move beyond measurement
and verification and establish an ongoing operational model.
For example, a practical framework for customers to interact
with utility signals and sustain their ongoing program participation
must also be designed and implemented. In turn,
this framework will rely upon additional system capabilities,
46
ieee power & energy magazine
including fast, low-latency communications and other smart
grid technologies.
As DER deployment is incentivized, electric utilities
need to integrate these resources to maximize their value.
Doing so requires leveraging not just the existing best practices
but deploying state-of-the-art grid capabilities like sensors,
DERMSs, and advanced communications infrastructure.
Deploying these technologies can help communities to
manage the costs and maximize the performance of DER
assets in a way that reduces climate change emissions and
increases energy system resilience. All of this requires a sustainable
DER infrastructure that provides value to customers,
an objective that a consistent and grid-informed VDER
methodology can help to realize.
For Further Reading
P. Andrianesis, M. Caramanis, R. D. Masiello, R. D. Tabors,
and S. Bahramirad, " Locational marginal value of distributed
energy resources as non-wires alternatives, " IEEE
Trans. Smart Grid, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 270-280, Jan. 2020,
doi: 10.1109/TSG.2019.2921205.
B. Currie et al., " Flexibility is key in New York: New
tools and operational solutions for managing distributed energy
resources, " IEEE Power Energy Mag., vol. 15, no. 3,
pp. 20-29, May/Jun. 2017, doi: 10.1109/MPE.2017.2660818.
A. Khodaei, R. Masiello, A. Paaso, and S. Bahramirad,
" ComEd Values DER, " T&D World, Sep. 5, 2019. https://
www.tdworld.com/distributed-energy-resources/article/
20973052/comed-values-der
Biographies
Aleksi Paaso is with ComEd, Chicago, Illinois, 60618, USA.
Nicholas Burica is with ComEd, Chicago, Illinois,
60618, USA.
Ryan Burg is with ComEd, Chicago, Illinois, 60618,
USA.
p&e
march/april 2022
DERMS Software
http://www.tdworld.com/distributed-energy-resources/article/20973052/comed-values-der http://www.tdworld.com/distributed-energy-resources/article/20973052/comed-values-der
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - March/April 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - March/April 2022
