Pillar 1 – System Operator Research & Peer Learning

Representatives from leading global technical institutes and the G-PST Founding System Operators (FSOs) have formulated and are currently pursuing a research agenda that lays out the near-term applied research priorities of the FSOs. The research informed by this agenda will support power system operators in reliably and cost-effectively achieving very high penetrations of inverter-based resources (IBRs) on their power systems over the next decade. The results of the research will be shared with all system operators globally.
Pillar 1 activities are guided by the Research Agenda Group (RAG) under the CEOs of the Founding System Operators and will be conducted by researchers across the globe who choose to tackle these research questions. In addition to the RAG, Pillar 1 also includes a Research Advisory Committee (RAC), consisting of members from advanced system operators, energy companies, manufacturers, universities, national labs and consultants.
Focused Research Teams
To increase the impact of its activities, the RAG developed several focused research teams to provide fundamental underpinnings to more detailed research questions in the research agenda. These teams are made up of subject matter experts from the FSOs and leading researchers from the Core Team of the G-PST.
The Inverter-based Resources Research Team is investigating how the fundamental needs of the power system can be supplied by Inverter-Based Resources (IBRs) and where additional research will be needed to access these capabilities. In parallel, this team also addresses how the tools and models we currently use to study the power system will need to be updated (or superseded) in light of the grid’s changing nature with increasing IBRs.
The Resource Adequacy Research Team is investigating how the rise of variable, energy limited resources combined with severe weather events driven by climate change will require changes to planning practices to ensure low-cost reliable power systems of the future.
In addition to these research teams there is also an extensive Research Repository being developed. It details current and recent research projects from around the world that are well-aligned with the Inaugural Research Agenda. This repository can be used by funding and research institutions to ensure they are up-to-date with the latest research and not duplicating efforts. Well-aligned projects may also receive support from the FSOs in terms of input and demonstration opportunities.