DER Past Research

EPRI DER Interoperability Lab Initiative

In 2024 EPRI launched the DER Interoperability Lab initiative in response to reports from those attempting to communicate with DERs that issues were being encountered. The initiative centers around a public working group. In this group we work with industry participants to document issues experienced by the industry, perform lab testing to determine root causes, communicating findings to affected parties (vendors, NRTLs, standards organizations), and tracking corrective actions as they are implemented. This effort is a collaborative effort with labs all over the world.

A summary of interoperability issues identified and documented can be found in EPRI’s repository.

EPRI Annual Research

• 3002011591 - IEEE Standard 1547™ — Communications and Interoperability: New Requirements Mandate Open Communications Interface and Interoperability for Distributed Energy Resources
  
• 3002007825 - The Value of Direct Access to Connected Devices
  
• 3002026692 - State of Interoperability 2023     Meta-trends of DER interoperability today.
  
• 3002026698 - The ICTs Behind Group Management of DERs ()     Protocols and practices for ADMS-DERMS and Utility-Aggregator interfaces.
  
• 3002026699 - LoraWAN, WiSun, and Amazon Sidewalk for DER Applications     Lab evaluations of IoT-based DER solutions.
  
• 3002026701- Interoperability Testing - Best Practices & Expanded Test Procedures     Test procedures to improve the networking, data, and protocol interoperability of DERs.
  
• 3002024001- IoT Protocols to Integrate DERs     Identify high-priority applications for IoT technologies in utility-centric DER applications.
  
• 3002024002- Decomposing FERC O2222     Assessment of the impact of FERC O2222 on utility IT and OT systems.
  
• 3002024196- DER Interoperability Needs for 2030     Developing tools and resources for utilities to specify protocol requirements and validate their implementation.
  
• 3002024100- ICT Networks to Integrate DER Technologies     Perspectives on the comm networks that integrate DERs.
  
• 3002024195- DER Gateway Reference Architecture     Reference architectures based on EPRI’s DER Gateway requirements specifications.
  
• 3002025480- Demand Flexibility for Reliability & Resilience     Cross-sector study on the improvements and updates needed to support demand flexibility
• 3002021863- Energy Storage Management Functions to Address Grid and Customer Services Phase 2 – Information and Communication Capabilities
• 3002018673-Connecting to Smart Inverters Opportunities and Limitations of Using Power Over Ethernet and Advanced Metering Infrastructure Networks
• 3002018673- Applications of the Local Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Gateway Low Cost, Secure DER Network Gateways for Integration of Smart Inverters
• 3002019357- Communications Architecture Requirements for Near-Term Smart Inverter Use Cases – Second Edition: Study of the Communications Requirements for Utilities to Realize the Benefits from Grid-Ready Smart Inverters * 3002019424 - Federated Architecture for Distributed Energy Resources Integration * 3002020268 - Energy Storage Management Functions to Address Grid and Customer Services * 3002016139 – Summary of Technology Transfer Webcasts on Communication Technologies for DER: Compilation and Overview of Presentations from the 2019 Webcast Series on Information and Communication Technologies for DER
• 3002016138 – EPRI’s DER Integration Testbed and Toolkit: An Overview of EPRI Test Tools for DER Integration
• 3002016140 – Protocol Reference Guide – 3rd Edition: Understanding the Characteristics of Communications with Distributed Energy Resource (DER) and Demand Response Technologies
• Interoperability in Communicating Distributed Energy Resources: A Repository of Information to Support Utilities in Achieving Interoperability in Communicating DER     * 3002016141 – Demand Response     * 3002016099 – Inverter-based DER     * 3002016142 – DERMS
• 3002017103 – Business Justifications for Communications to Distributed Energy Resources and Demand Response: Survey of Members from EPRI’s Information and Communication Technologies Program
• 3002016143 – Communications Architecture Requirements for Near-Term Smart Inverter Use Cases: Study of the Communications Requirements for Utilities to Realize the Benefits from Grid-Ready Smart Inverters
• 3002016144 – Test Procedure for Validating DNP Application Note AN2018-001 in Distributed Energy Resources – CEC Funded
• 3002015355 – Open Source DER Outstation for DNP Application Note AN2018-001
• 3002016335 – Enhancing Grid Resiliency Through Improving Capabilities to Manage Communicating Energy Storage and Solar Systems
• 3002013623 - EPRI’s Distributed Energy Resources Toolkit: An Overview of EPRI Tools for Testing and Implementing Open Protocols * 3002013622 - Overview of EPRI’s DER Simulation Tool for Emulating Smart Solar Inverters and Energy Storage Systems on Communication Networks: An Overview of EPRI’s Distributed Energy Resource Simulator
• 3002013473 - Assessment of Interoperability Achieved through IEEE Std 1547-2018 and IEEE P1547.1: Results from EPRI Interoperability Testing and Market Research
• 3002014800 - Common Information Model (CIM) Compliance Testing: November 2018 Summary of Results
• 3002013624 - The Economics of Customer and Grid Connectivity and Grid Interoperability: Evaluation of the Potential Impacts of Interoperability in Utility Economic Analyses and Program Design
• 3002012960 - Assessment of Integrated Energy Technologies Research: Flexible Loads, Distributed Solar, Energy Storage, and Electric Vehicles
• 3002013484 - Integration of DER Technologies: Preliminary Test Results
• 3002013625 - IEC 61850 Protocol Driver Agents: Open Source Software to Support Testing and Development of IEC-61850 in Smart Inverters
• 3002014087 – EPRI IEEE 2030.5 Client User’s Manual

• 3002011233 - Common Information Model Compliance Testing for Distributed Energy Resource Group Management: October 2017 Summary of Results
• 3002009782 - CTA-2045 UCM C++ Library (LIBCEA2045 – OPEN), Version 1.0
• 3002009750 - CTA-2045 Desktop Simulator User’s Manual: Version 16.12.07
• 3002009857 - DER Grouping Dependencies and the Concept of Operations

• 3002009852 - Overview of EPRI’s Simulation Tool for Emulating Smart Water Heaters on Communication Networks: An Introduction to EPRI’s Smart Water Heater Simulator

• 3002011045 - Common Functions for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Devices
• 3002008215 - Common Functions for DER Group Management, Third Edition

• 3002008943 - Guidebook for Revenue Protection with AMI

• 3002015876 - IEC 61850 Working Group Activity: 2019 Summary