Modeling distributed energy resource dynamics on the transmission system

As distributed energy resource (DER) projects grow in popularity, there has been little focus on their potential to influence the dynamic stability of a transmission system. If implemented in large enough numbers, DER equipment may feasibly be leveraged to provide ancillary services such as spinning reserve, system inertia, or system stabilization. To determine the potential impacts of DER on future transmission grid stability, dynamic models of DER load combinations were created, reduced in order, and scattered throughout Central and Southern California within an existing Western Systems Coordinating Council (WSCC) dynamic model. Evaluation of the composite WSCC-DER dynamic model allows correlations to be drawn between various DER properties and the transmission grid stability. Key findings show that increasing DER inertia tends to destabilize the transmission system. The cause of this counterintuitive relationship requires further study but likely is related to the high impedance separating the DER from the transmission grid.