Smarter Grid Options was chosen to check the mixing of clever solar inverters into New York's Solar Energy World utility grid

Smarter Grid Solutions (SGS) announced that its distributed energy resource management system, ANM Strata (DERMS), has been awarded a contract to conduct a demonstration program as part of the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority's (NYSERDA) Future Grid Challenge.

As part of the demonstration program, SGS will work with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Borrego Solar to test how smart inverters can be integrated with Orange & Rockland Utilities' Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS).

SGS was one of five winning teams announced by NYSERDA as part of the first two rounds of the Future Grid Challenge. The aim is to develop solutions to integrate clean and renewable energies into the power grid in support of Governor Cuomo's leading goals for climate and clean energy.

"Many utility companies are promoting both off-grid support technologies such as intelligent inverters and higher-level monitoring and control networks with ADMS. We use ANM Strata to bridge the gap between intelligent inverters and ADMS," said Tim McDuffie, SGS senior business development engineer. “This project starts with HIL (Hardware in the Loop) tests, which can analyze use cases and operating parameters in a controlled environment using actual devices such as intelligent inverters and simulated energy storage systems. The flexibility of ANM Strata allows the device to be essentially separated from the laboratory equipment and connected to the field equipment as part of the field deployment phase of the project. This will allow maximum transition between laboratory tests and field conditions and enable improved HIL test methods in the future. "

He continued: “The advanced DERMS functionality for the integration, automation and optimization of the use of photovoltaic systems in connection with energy storage through intelligent inverter control is an essential part of a clean energy transition. This project provides important steps to achieve the full benefits for utilities and power plant owners. "

“We are very excited about the opportunity to be part of NYSERDA's Future Grid PON with SGS and Orange & Rockland Utilities. We believe this and similar projects will help remove the current barriers in the industry associated with the use of Smart Inverter functionality and DERMS, ”said Michael Brigandi, Director of Grid Integration at Borrego Solar. "We look forward to advancing the smart grid technology used by utility companies, which increases GD's hosting capacity and ensures security and reliability for all networked service and DG customers."

As of 2016, NYSERDA's Smart Grid program has awarded approximately $ 53 million in 69 contracts to grid technology companies and research organizations for projects including low-cost, high-accuracy grid sensors, modeling and simulation tools, and advanced engineering solutions for more effective integration of renewable energy resources.

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