Posting for 30-Day Open Process Review of NPCC Guidance Document, 'An Approach for Distributed Energy Resources (DER) on Distribution Systems.'

An initial draft of the NPCC Guidance Document, An Approach for Distributed Energy Resources (DER) on Distribution Systems, has been posted on the NPCC Website for a 30-day comment period through July 31, 2019.

This initial draft outlines a regional approach to reliably integrating Distributed Energy Resources (DER) on Distribution Systems. As DERs continue to penetrate the electric system at the “grid edge” or distribution system, and replace conventional transmission grid connected carbon producing and nuclear generation resources, there is an increasing reliability related need to understand the effect of these DER resources. It is important to understand how DERs are interconnected, planned, operated and how they interact with the transmission grid. Reliably and securely integrating DER into the electric system will require a comprehensive approach utilizing perspectives from areas, such as, DER design, modeling, planning, relay coordination, and operations as well as consideration of regulatory and jurisdictional issues from both a U.S. and Canadian perspective.

The intent of this document is to establish guidance, where possible, for interconnection of DER. NPCC has leveraged some existing interconnection requirements and also developed a process to identify impacts of DER. This document represents an NPCC Region-wide approach to interconnecting DER to distribution systems and is an initial step to reliably operating DER in conjunction with the BES. It must be recognized that DERs may not be placed optimally and in areas where deliverability to load may not be ideal. In this respect any specific recommendations in this document will be subject to further requirements of the interconnecting distribution utility.

See attachment for more details.