Pillar 2 – System Operator Technical Support
Led by NREL, a holistic system operator technical assistance and capacity building program approach has been developed to ensure robust and impactful support to partner country system operators. Work programs are under development with developing country and emerging economy system operator partners in 10 countries that define priority activities for technical assistance and peer learning and exchange with the Founding System Operators and between all system operators.
Latest Accomplishments
Control Center of the Future Assessment Developed for Peruvian System Operator
Peru’s system operator, Comité de Operación Económica del Sistema Interconectado Nacional (COES), is embarking on a shift to higher wind and solar energy penetrations in its power system. The organization expressed interest in possible recommended investment priorities to adapt to more variable generation, as well as shifting energy demand profiles through electrification and increased growth rates. Under the G-PST’s System Operator Technical Support Pillar (Pillar 2), core team organizations the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and NREL developed an in-depth assessment of the optimal approaches for control center improvement that COES might consider to meet the demands of the future power system.
The vision for the control center of the future outlined in this assessment is aimed to position COES at the forefront of innovation in control center and operational capability. It is an ambitious plan that aims to ground the development of operational technology and the control center in the context of rapidly increasing generation, demand, and network growth in the coming decade. The road map is structured in five key areas: architecture, data, control center tools, human factors, and buildings and hardware, with eleven key pillars of innovation within each area. Part of the framework included developing a potential pathway to 2030 and beyond, while recognizing the uncertainty in projected growth forecasts. The roadmap is not intended to be an implementation plan or course of action for COES to follow necessarily, but rather is an indicative and visionary way of considering the best approaches for achieving their operational goals.
Explore the full assessment below:
Power System Sharing Series #8: Advanced Dispatcher Training Simulator Toward Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) Integration
January 2022
The eighth installment of the Power System Sharing Series, focused on dispatcher training. This webinar was delivered for PLN Indonesia staff and stakeholders. Speakers include experts from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Eirgrid. More information on the Power System Sharing Series web page.
Watch the Recording
Power System Sharing Series #7: Advanced Primary and Secondary Generation Control
December 2021
The seventh installment of the Power System Sharing Series, focused on advanced primary and secondary generation control. This webinar was delivered for PLN Indonesia staff and stakeholders. Speakers include experts from HECO and DTU. More information on the Power System Sharing Series web page.
Watch the Recording
G-PST Hosts System Operator Leadership Forum
To support the visionary goal of the G-PST Consortium to reduce power sector emissions by 50% globally by 2030, there is a need to build confidence within system operators at the highest level that reaching high variable renewable energy (VRE) penetration, while ensuring system reliability, is possible. To develop this confidence among system operators initiating the energy transition, the G-PST Consortium hosted a virtual joint forum on October 4th, 2021 between the leadership of emerging economy system operators and those from the G-PST’s founding system operators (FSOs). These FSOs represent grid systems that are at the cutting-edge of the energy transition and regularly manage reliability under high VRE penetration.
This forum provided a space for the FSOs to share their journeys, including key challenges, solutions, and good practices, as they have moved to high VRE penetration. It was also facilitated by Rebecca Collyer of the European Climate Fund to encourage open dialogue in a small group setting to encourage honest and frank sharing of challenges, as well as knowledge and solutions, to build confidence at the highest levels within system operators globally, while also setting the stage for future peer learning and technical discussions between staff within the system operators.
Attendees included leadership teams and technical designees from the following system operation groups:
Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), Australia
California Independent System Operator (CAISO), U.S.
Comité de Operación Económica del Sistema Interconectado Nacional (COES), Peru
EirGrid Group, Ireland
Energinet, Denmark
Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), U.S.
Eskom, South Africa
Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC), Kazakhstan
National Grid ESO, U.K.
National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), Philippines
National Load Dispatch Center (NLDC), Vietnam
National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC), Pakistan
Office National de l’Electricité et de l’Eau Potable (ONEE), Morocco
Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), Indonesia
Power System Operator Corporation (POSOCO), India
West African Power Pool (WAPP)
XM Compañía Expertos en Mercados (XM), Colombia