Demonstration of Smart Grid Ready Inverters with Utility Communication Award Number: DE-EE0005337 CX(s) Applied: A9, B5.16 Solar Energy Technologies Office Date: 08/06/2014 Location(s): TN Office(s): Golden Field Office
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance
February 29, 2016
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Demonstration of Smart Grid Ready Inverters with Utility Communication
Award Number: DE-EE0005337
CX(s) Applied: A9, B5.16
Solar Energy Technologies Office
Date: 08/06/2014
Location(s): TN
Office(s): Golden Field Office
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing to provide federal funding to Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to develop, implement, and demonstrate smart-grid ready inverters with grid support functionality and required communication links to capture the full value of distributed photovoltaic (PV) technology.
During Phase II (Year 2), DOE funding would be used by Electric Power Research Institute to deploy newly developed PV inverters and establish a utility communication link at four demonstration sites - DTE Energy Fuller PV Site (Fuller Road, Ann Arbor MI), National Grid Everett PV Site (Robin Street, Everett, MA), National Grid Haverhill PV Site (Hilldale Avenue, Haverhill, MA), and Pepco site PV system (Factory Road, Cedarville, NJ). The project would demonstrate and document grid-support functionality of the PV inverters and utility control through a distributed energy resources (DER) distribution management system (DMS). Phase II (Year 2) activities would occur at sites with existing solar PV systems and would require no additional licensing and/or permitting. The technology being tested would not alter the visual characteristics of the existing solar PV systems; therefore, no visual impacts are expected as a result of the proposed project.