In the flagship Los Angeles 100% Renewable Energy Study (LA100), NLR performed next-generation parcel-level distribution system analysis for the city of Los Angeles to help the city understand broad changes needed to its grid.

In the follow-on LA100 Equity Strategies study, NLR analyzed resilience and equity impacts of the energy transition in Los Angeles. Similarly, NLR has conducted long-term large-scale transmission and distribution planning analysis for Puerto Rico and has ongoing work with Lithuania in the Lithuania 100% Renewable Energy Study.

NLR has also worked with the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Electricity to understand the long-term drivers and demand from distribution transformers, helping the industry forecast annual demand to alleviate supply chain constraints.

As power grids evolve and more objectives are incorporated into system planning, NLR is increasingly focused on integrated distribution planning. As part of this work, NLR is building out the Capacity Expansion Decision Support for Distribution Networks (CADET) model to deliver forward-looking, multi-objective investment strategies for utilities and policy makers.

Interconnection and Hosting Capacity

In partnership with Sacramento Municipal Utility District, NLR developed an R&D 100 award-winning solution to automate and streamline DER interconnection called PREconfiguring and Controlling Inverter SEt-points, or PRECISE. PRECISE automates detailed time-series DER interconnection studies. The tool was deployed at the utility in spring 2022.

NLR has also explored machine-learning processes to automate screening residential PV interconnection applications.

Another major focus on NLR's interconnection research is expanding capabilities to conduct distribution system hosting capacity analysis. NLR's DISCO tool is used for both solar hosting capacity and EV hosting capacity analysis and was used in the LA100 Study for service area upgrade analysis.

NLR also has a long history of foundational research in DER interconnection standards, namely IEEE 1547-2018. As part of this work, the laboratory has long-standing collaboration with partners in Hawaii examining advanced inverter functions and potential curtailment and field analysis of advanced inverter voltage control for both volt–ampere reactive and volt-watt control.

Distribution System Modernization and Resilience

Advanced metering infrastructure has enabled visibility at the grid-edge, and NLR is advancing advanced metering infrastructure analytics for distribution planning. Using advanced metering infrastructure data, NLR has performed clustering analysis to examine impacts on tariff structures and load profile development, estimated activation of smart-inverter functions, and conducted time-series interconnection studies and phase identification.

NLR is also developing capabilities in distribution system protection analysis and examining the impacts of DER on protection equipment. NLR conducts both quasi-static time-series and electromagnetic transient analysis to understand the impacts of grid-edge fault-current on protection sensing and clearing.

Additionally, NLR has been expanding analysis into distribution system reliability and resilience given increasing frequency of extreme weather events. NLR's distribution system modeling and analysis allows the North American Energy Resilience Model to examine the impacts of widespread DER adoption on system resilience. NLR is also working with the U.S. Department of Energy's Grid Deployment Office on best practices and utility case studies for resilience planning for wildfires, winter, and nonwinter storms. As part of a growing portfolio of resilience analysis, NLR developed modeling capabilities for threat analysis through the ERAD model.

A large focus of NLR's distribution system analysis is examining use cases of Advanced Distribution Management System and Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems. Using the Hierarchical Engine for Large-Scale Co-Simulation (HELICS) model, NLR co-simulates quasi-static power-flow, real-time digital simulations, and electromagnetic transient models for multiple DER use-cases. This approach enables analysis at scale, including transmission and distribution co-simulation, and has been demonstrated in use-cases including analyzing cyber-physical threats of electric vehicles providing frequency responses services.

Demand-Side Flexibility and Grid-Edge Storage

With evolving communications and control, there are increasing opportunities to procure flexibility from the demand-side (customers). Grid and buildings researchers at NLR developed the Object-Oriented Controllable High-Resolution Residential Energy (OCHRE) Model to enable analysis of buildings to provide flexibility and grid-services. OCHRE supports analysis of electric vehicle smart-charging, frequency response of flexible loads, and model-predictive control for behind-the-meter storage. NLR is exploring how to leverage demand-side flexibility in system planning, with analysis of how aggregators can provide system services and potential impacts to system resilience.

International Work

NLR has conducted distribution system analysis internationally. In India, NLR provided a locally appropriate adoption of IEEE 1547-2018, solar integration in Tamil Nadu, and demand-side management and distributed storage use-cases in Delhi.

In South Africa, NLR worked with multiple government and industry stakeholders to examine the potential of demand response at the grid-edge.

NLR's distribution system analysis has also been used for grid integration technical assistance in Cambodia, Lithuania, Nigeria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.

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