[USA] NERC publishes strategy for adding DER to the grid

On November 1, 2022, the North American Electric Reliability Corp (NERC) published a new report titled Distributed Energy Resource Strategy, which identifies approaches, concepts, and regulatory steps necessary to ensure the reliable operation of the bulk power system into the future.[1] Distributed energy resource (DER) levels are growing across North America, altering how the bulk power system is planned, designed, and operated. According to NERC, distributed solar capacity will grow by more than 30,000 MW between 2022 and 2031. While DERs have multiple benefits, they also create challenges to grid reliability, resilience, and flexibility.

The new report serves as a roadmap, identifying milestones ahead as NERC develops its approach to growing volumes of DER connected to the bulk power system (BPS). NERC’s strategy document creates a framework to help the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) in the process of managing risk. It includes six specific steps: risk identification; risk prioritization; mitigation identification and evaluation; deployment; measurement of success; and monitoring. The core tenets of the strategy are DER modeling capabilities, studies incorporating DERs, operational impacts of DERs, and regulatory considerations related to DERs.

[1] https://www.nerc.com/news/Pages/NERC-Publishes-Distributed-Energy-Resource-Strategy-Document.aspx

[Japan] Kyushu Electric Power and SB Power Launched a Joint Demonstration Test for a Demand Response Smartphone Service for Residential Customers

Kyushu Electric Power (Kyuden, Headquarters: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture) and SB Power, a retail electric provider which is a subsidiary of the SoftBank Group (Headquarters: Tokyo), announced on December 17, 2020, that they have launched a joint demonstration test for a Demand Response (DR) Smartphone Service for residential customers.

The demonstration test will operate in FY2020 through SB Power's DR service for residential customers. The service is an AI-based demand forecasting system which utilizes electric energy data that is obtained every 30 minutes from Kyushu Electric Power Transmission and Distribution (Headquarters: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture). Kyuden customers who have registered to join the demonstration test will use an app called Beautiful Life Plus DR, which was designed by SB Power and customized by Kyuden. As an incentive for customers to save energy through the program, the participants will receive PayPay Bonus, an e-payment credit to be utilized for shopping. The platform was provided by PayPay, a mobile payment provider jointly owned by SoftBank and Yahoo Japan (Headquarters: Tokyo).

DR has recently become more critical in Kyushu Prefecture due to the increase in the use of solar power generation, and the new DR service therefore aims to help optimize the local supply and demand balance of electricity. Kyuden and SB Power hope that the service will assist Kyuden to reduce its supply costs, while also helping customers to save energy and costs.[1]

[1] http://www.kyuden.co.jp/press_h201217-1.html

[Japan] TRENDE, the University of Tokyo, and the Frontier Research Center of Toyota Motor Corp. Completed a Demonstration Test for a Next-Generation Peer-to-Peer Electricity Trading System

On November 13, 2020, TRENDE (Headquarters: Tokyo), a subsidiary of TEPCO Ventures; the University of Tokyo; and the Frontier Research Center of Toyota Motor Corp. (Toyota, Headquarters: Aichi Prefecture), which develops robotics and technologies for medical care and energy, announced that they had completed a demonstration project for a peer-to-peer (P2P) electricity trading system.

The system uses blockchain technologies to enable P2P electricity transactions between customers who are using distributed energy resources (DER), including solar generation systems, battery storage, and plug-in hybrid (PHV). The transaction is conducted based on consumers’ electricity consumption and generation forecasts created through Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The demonstration test was conducted from June 17, 2019 to August 31, 2020 at Toyota’s Higashifuji Technical Center in Susono City, Shizuoka Prefecture, and in the surrounding areas. The test examined the performance of the P2P electricity trading system and its impact on lowering electricity bills for commercial and residential customers. The demonstration test verified that the system enabled homes and businesses to trade electricity from DERs and contributed to reducing electricity bills by approximately 9% among residential participants.

TRENDE, the University of Tokyo, and Toyota plan to provide the system to households and EV users. They expect that it will contribute to reducing electricity bills and CO2 emissions, as well as enhancing disaster resiliency. The team is also considering collaborating with various companies and universities for overseas expansion.[1][2]

[1] https://www.tepcoventures.co.jp/news/news-367/

[2] https://trende.jp/news/press/20201113/