FERC Stabilizes Solar Power Ride-Through Standards
Published Date: 1/21/2025
Proposed Rule
Summary
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission wants to make sure that inverter-based energy sources like wind and solar keep the power grid steady by updating rules on how they handle frequency and voltage changes. These new standards affect power companies using these technologies and aim to improve reliability without big cost surprises. Comments on the proposal are open until March 24, 2025, so stakeholders have time to weigh in.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 4 costs, 0 mixed.
Estimated Compliance Paperwork Burden and Costs
FERC estimates compliance paperwork burdens for the proposed standards: PRC-024-4 would affect 1,230 generator owners with an annual record review burden of 20 hours each (24,600 hours) and an annualized cost of $1,738,482. PRC-029-1 would affect 591 BES IBR generator owners (40 hours each = 23,640 hours) and a median 755 non-BES IBR generator owners (80 hours each = 60,400 hours), for a combined 1,346 responses, 84,040 hours, and an annualized cost of $5,939,106.80. The document states these Year 1-3 annual burdens and costs.
Inverter-Based Resources Must Ride-Through
The Commission proposes that each owner of a NERC-registered inverter-based resource (IBR) must ensure the IBR meets or exceeds specified "must ride-through" voltage and frequency zones in PRC-029-1, including continuing to inject current and provide frequency support during disturbances. The rule includes a frequency rate limit (absolute RoCoF <= 5 Hz/second) and explicit exceptions such as clearing a fault, hardware limitation per Requirement R4, an instantaneous positive sequence phase angle change over 25 electrical degrees triggered by non-fault switching, or V/Hz >1.1 pu longer than 45 seconds or >1.18 pu longer than 2 seconds.
Legacy IBRs Can Request Time-Limited Exemptions
Proposed Requirement R4 allows generator owners of IBRs that are in service by the effective date of PRC-029-1 (legacy IBRs) to request an exemption from specific voltage and frequency Ride-through criteria if hardware replacements would be necessary. Generator owners have a 12-month window after the Reliability Standard's effective date to request an exemption, must document hardware limitations and provide that information to planning coordinators, transmission planners, transmission operators, reliability coordinators, and the Compliance Enforcement Authority, and must notify those entities within 90 days if hardware is later replaced.
Synchronous Units Keep Protection Settings
The Commission proposes to approve PRC-024-4, which keeps frequency and voltage protection-setting capability requirements for synchronous generators, type 1 and type 2 wind resources, and synchronous condensers so they do not trip during defined frequency and voltage excursions. PRC-024-4 removes references to IBRs because those resources are covered by PRC-029-1.
NERC Must Report Exemption Data Twice Post-Window
The Commission proposes to direct NERC to submit two informational filings—one 12 months and one 24 months after the end of the 12-month exemption request period—reporting for each U.S. interconnection and each reliability coordinator area: total number and aggregated MW of IBRs subject to PRC-029-1, total number and MW of exemption requests, total number and MW of granted exemptions, counts and MW by exemption type (voltage and/or frequency), and counts and MW by IBR type (wind, solar PV, BESS, fuel cell), plus analyses of reasons for exemptions and efficacy of the process.
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Key Dates
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