Electrical Distribution Design (EDD), an NISC company, has a history of providing analysis tools needed for adapting to the changing electric energy landscape. Continuing that history of innovation, EDD is partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy in a project that will create a cyberattack-resistant, more efficient and more stable U.S. electrical grid powered by renewable energy.

Additional project partners in this effort are Florida State University, University of Delaware and Virginia Tech.

The three-year project is named the Faster-than-Real-Time Simulation with Demonstration for Resilient Distributed Energy Resource Integration. The targeted outcome—development of a Measurement and Model Integrator for Ensuring Grid Security (M2IEGS) system.

According to NISC Senior Product Line Manager Robert Broadwater, the ongoing transition to a renewable-based electric grid brings increasing generation uncertainty involving large numbers of distributed generators, and dependence on increased communications. This will require real-time irradiance, wind and other weather measurements, along with defenses against cyberattacks and system instabilities.

“The M2IEGS system enables detection of grid abnormalities and coordinates voltage control and grid stability in real time,” Broadwater said. “Well placed real-time measurements and renewable generation forecasting will provide clarity on grid operation, and for the first time ever, operators will be able to holistically monitor the system from transmission through secondary distribution, detecting and reacting to instabilities and abnormal events.”

The M2IEGS software is being developed and lab tested in 2021-2022, according to Broadwater, and be tested in the field throughout the second half of 2022.

To learn more about the project, visit edd-us.com/m2iegs.