Future of Distribution Planning Studies with DER Aggregation due to FERC 2222 and Impact on Transmission Studies.

On September 17, 2020, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) introduced Order 2222, which allows tariff changes to enable aggregated distributed energy resources (DERs) to participate in wholesale energy markets. DERs are Behind the Meter (BTM) small-scale energy resources like rooftop solar panels, battery storage installations, electric vehicles, charging equipment, and energy-efficient appliances. These BTM DERs have been limited to serving only local areas, but with FERC's new rule, they can participate in broader markets. This panel will discuss the studies that utilities should consider when receiving DER aggregation requests, why they are necessary and how to run some of these studies with the current commercial tools that is available in the North American market. Other than traditional distribution planning studies, the team will discuss time series analysis, quasi time series analysis, harmonic analysis, distribution transient analysis, protection coordination, etc. In cases where the DERs aggregated by a single DER aggregator span across multiple TP/PC footprints, there must be coordinated efforts to update data, information, models, and practices consistently. This ensures that the DER aggregation is accurately reflected in operational, near-term, and long-term studies transmission planning assessments. The panel will discuss how the DER aggregation impact the Bulk Power System especially regional and interregional planning practices, such as underfrequency load shedding programs required under PRC-006 or determining the most severe contingency for an interconnection.