System Operator Research & Peer Learning

System Operator Research & Peer Learning2025-02-05T16:43:09-05:00

Pillar 1 – System Operator Research & Peer Learning

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Representatives from leading global technical institutes and system operators formulated and are pursuing a research agenda that lays out the near-term applied research priorities of the system operators. 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. Results of the research are shared with all system operators globally.

Pillar 1 activities are guided by the Research Group. Activities are conducted by system operators and researchers across the globe who work together to tackle these research questions. In addition to the Research Group, Pillar 1 also includes an Innovation Group, consisting of Pillar leads and members from implementation councils and task forces. The task forces and implementation councils, which cut across all pillars, conduct a range of research, development, and outreach activities. Participants include system operators, energy companies, project developers, manufacturers, universities, national labs, and consultants.

Several focused task forces and implementation councils were launched to provide fundamental underpinnings to more detailed research questions in the research agenda and provide solutions through field tests and demonstrations. These groups are made up of subject matter experts from the system operators, industry experts, and leading researchers from research organizations and universities. G–PST has also linked with the Electric Power Innovation for a Carbon-free Society Center to pursue global research challenges in a collaborative fashion.   

  • Control Room of the Future Implementation Council: The Control Room of the Future Implementation Council is dedicated to revolutionizing control room operations by fostering research-industry collaboration to develop innovative solutions that enhance real-time data processing, grid stability, and operational flexibility in support of low-emission, reliable power systems.
  • Grid Forming Technologies Implementation Council: The Grid Forming Technologies Implementation Council aims to break the chicken-and-egg cycle that exists with respect to the commercial application of grid forming inverter-based equipment, while accelerating the pathway to deployment of this enabling technology.
  • Stability Implementation Council: The Stability Implementation Council will identify and develop advanced tools and methods to analyze risk and assess capabilities of systems with high levels of inverter-based resources, including managing additional planning and operational complexity.
  • Integrated Planning and Resource Adequacy Research Team: Resource Adequacy, as a key topic of integrated power system planning, is one of G-PST’s central areas of focus. In 2021, G-PST established a Resource Adequacy Research Team to investigate how the rise of variable, energy-limited resources, combined with severe weather events, will require changes to planning practices to ensure secure, low-cost reliable power systems of the future.
  • System Needs and Services Task Force: The System Needs and Services Task Force is focused on managing the evolution of power systems from largely synchronous machine to inverter-based resources-driven. The team produced a foundational document describing the evolving needs and services to maintain a reliable and stable power system irrespective of whether it is dominated by synchronous machines or inverter-based resources.
  • The Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Task Force: The DER Task Force mission is to develop DER system architecture and tools for improved observability and control of DER, to provide system services from DER, and maintain reliable system operation.

Pillar 1 developed an extensive Research Repository, which details current and recent research projects from around the world that are well-aligned with the Research Agenda. This repository can be used by funding organizations 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 interested system operators in terms of input and demonstration opportunities.

The Research Repository is a working document, and more contributions are welcomed. Your contributions help our team assess relevant and ongoing research so we can identify gaps in research and find ways in improving and increasing collaboration.

Do you have a project that should be included in the research agenda? View the Research Repository and select the “Submit Your Project” button.

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