On November 17, 2022, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ordered mandatory reliability standards for inverter-based resources (IBRs) to help ensure wind, solar, and battery storage don’t threaten grid reliability.[1] FERC also directed the North American Reliability Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to develop a plan within 90 days to identify and register the owners and operators of IBRs connected to the bulk-power system that are not currently required to register with the organization.

NERC estimates that roughly 860 GW of wind, solar, and storage, which use inverters to convert direct current electricity to alternating current electricity, could come online over the next decade. Compared to synchronous generators like natural gas-fired power plants, IBRs must be programmed to ride through grid disturbances. Most FERC-approved Reliability Standards to date were developed with synchronous generation in mind. To address this, FERC’s proposed rule directs NERC to develop new or modified standards to eliminate four reliability gaps related to IBRs: data sharing, model validation, planning and operational studies, and performance requirements.

[1] https://www.ferc.gov/news-events/news/joint-presentation-items-e-1-registration-inverter-based-resources-and-e-2