NYSEG and RG&E Demonstrate Ability to Add Renewable Energy onto Grid
Active network management automates curtailment by leveraging Dynamic Hosting Capacity
Allows Utilities to host more renewable energy with fewer costly grid upgrades
New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) have demonstrated a new flexible interconnection technology that will help interconnect renewable resources, like solar, into their grid efficiently and without costly upgrades to substations and transmission lines. Results from the Flexible Interconnection Capacity Solution, a demonstration pilot, were reported to the New York State Public Service Commission earlier this year.
“This dynamic hosting capacity will allow NYSEG and RG&E to increase the capacity for renewable, green energy via a technical solution rather than physical upgrades to infrastructure,” said Rita King, senior director of Smart Grids Innovation for Avangrid. “It provides automated feedback from the constrained point on the grid to a centralized control system to limit the output of the resource as needed.”
The Companies conducted the demonstration projects at one substation in Champlain, NY, in NYSEG’s Plattsburgh division and another in Ogden, NY, in RG&E’s Central division. The solution is being explored for larger scale implementation. Capacity is a challenge for utilities across the state and the nation, as the demand for electrification and green technologies increases. Innovative solutions to increasing the capacity for renewable resources delivered via existing infrastructure are key to unlocking the green energy future.
The demonstration proved that this automated control system could protect the grid when it’s near a constraint threshold, allowing for increased utilization of existing infrastructure. While upgrading physical substations and transmission lines is still essential to increasing renewables adoption, solutions like this one give the Companies greater flexibility in delivering this renewable energy to customers.
