SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “behind-the-meter DERs”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2021

The Value of Distributed Wind: A Valuation Framework

While there has been an increase in distributed energy resource (DER) adoption, particularly for solar photovoltaic (PV) DERs, distributed wind deployment is still relatively low. However, distributed wind has significant growth potential for behind-the-meter applications and can provide improved resource diversity and resilience in high-DER grid systems. In order to make optimized decisions about distributed wind deployment, it is important to identify and characterize the value streams of distributed wind in a way that will help policy makers, microgrid developers, utilities, project developers, and others understand the potential value of distributed wind. In our paper, we develop a framework to provide a consistent and comprehensive approach to finding the net benefits of distributed wind to various stakeholders in different scenarios. We do this by considering the main use cases for distributed wind, and then developing a framework which is flexible for these various use cases and the relevant stakeholders while maintaining the same overall structure for analysis. Ongoing work includes applying this framework to valuing two distributed wind power systems, one in a remote village in Alaska and one in a front-of-the-meter deployment in Iowa. Our analysis aims to understand the full value that distributed wind is providing in these systems, including the resilience benefits it is contributing. As a better understanding of distributed wind valuation is gained, it will be easier for stakeholders to make informed decisions in order to have resilient renewable energy systems.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

Digital Assurance Checklist for Homeowners and Installers

This document provides a comprehensive Digital Assurance Checklist for securing behind-the-meter energy assets, focusing on both installers and homeowners. As distributed energy resources (DERs) such as solar PV and battery storage become integral to residential energy systems, cybersecurity emerges as a critical component of reliability and safety. The guide outlines actionable steps for installers during pre-installation, commissioning, and post-installation phases, emphasizing practices like network segmentation, credential management, firmware validation, and homeowner education. For homeowners, the document introduces a tiered approach to cyber hygiene—from essential measures like strong Wi-Fi credentials and automatic updates to advanced strategies such as network segmentation, DNS filtering, and intrusion detection. By adopting these practices, stakeholders can mitigate cyber risks, safeguard energy infrastructure, and ensure resilient, secure operation of DER systems. Additional resources and references to industry standards are included to support implementation.

99 - GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Digital Assurance Checklist for Homeowners and Installers

99 - GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Cloud-based Testbed for Adaptive Under-Frequency Load Shedding with High DER Penetration

Increasing penetration of distributed energy resources and behind-the-meter renewables may soon disrupt the efficacy of critical protection schemes, such as under-frequency load shedding (UFLS). Improved data exchange and coordination across the transmission-distribution boundary will be required to maintain reliability of bulk electric system. Standards-based data integration platforms using agreed-upon semantic vocabularies, such as the Common Information Model, will be key to enabling adaptive protection schemes requiring synthesized data from both the bulk power system and behind-the-meter resources. This paper introduces a cloud-based open-source data integration environment and UFLS clustering algorithm being developed to enable adaptive relay coordination between transmission and distribution utilities in the state of Vermont.

Anderson, Alexander A.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Master Services Agreement - Flexible Feeder/Distribution System Support: Cooperative Research and Development (Final Report)

PGE will engage NREL on a broad range of projects related to the integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) into the utility's operations. This portfolio of work could include projects focused on DER adoption models, advanced distribution management system (ADMS) and distributed energy management system (DERMS) design, DER dispatch strategy development, and DER valuation framework development. Additional topics could include long-term energy planning, renewable energy, energy efficiency and demand-side management. As well as technology evaluations and design guidance for building retrofits and new construction projects, energy and energy infrastructure planning, policies, and markets (and their analysis), energy storage, energy security and resilience (including energy system-related cybersecurity), transportation and mobility, technology integration analysis. Additionally, other assistance as requested by PGE consistent with NREL’s expertise.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2022

Integration of Microgrids, DER Aggregators, and DERMS with ADMS

Distributed energy resource (DER) management and control is disjointed, siloed, and at times conflicting. Behind-the-meter (BTM) assets can provide significant flexibility but are poorly integrated with the grid. Centralized control methods alone are not scalable. The objective is to develop and demonstrate an architecture that: provides reliable, resilient, and secure grid services; enables scalable, near-real-time management of utility- and small-scale DERs; supports transactive control, aggregation, and direct control of DERs; and incorporates existing utility management systems.

ADMS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Probabilistic Resilience of DER Systems - A Simulation Assisted Optimization Approach

Energy systems resilience is becoming increasingly important as the frequency of major grid outages increases. In this work, we present a methodology to optimize a behind-the-meter distributed energy resource system to sustain a site's critical loads during a pre-defined outage period. With the fixed system design, we then propose an outage simulation approach to estimate the resilience potential of the DER system to sustain loads beyond the fixed outage period - a yearlong resilience performance analysis. We apply statistical analysis to assess the system's resilience performance over a broader parametric problem space on an hourly, monthly, and yearly basis. We demonstrate the impact of the pre-defined outage period on the resilience performance through a case study. Results show that the probability of surviving a random outage of a given duration changes from 20% to 95% when the outage is modeled for a weekday instead of a weekend for the given load-profile.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2022

The locational value of distributed energy resources: A parcel-level evaluation of solar and wind potential in New York state

We report distributed energy resources (DERs) are poised to play a significant role in evolving power systems because of their flexibility to be sited in areas of high value to the grid. Traditional DER compensation frameworks, specifically net energy metering (NEM), inadequately communicate differences in the locational and temporal value of DER generation to the grid. As a transition from NEM, New York State's (NYS's) Value of Distributed Energy Resources (VDER) framework provides a methodology for calculating different value components that DERs offer the grid. To study the impacts of VDER frameworks on DER deployment, we developed a model to assess the value of distributed solar and wind systems configured as either a behind-the-meter system or a front-of-the-meter system for each parcel of land in NYS. Using parcel-level granularity, we can closely evaluate DER locational value and siting availability, particularly in urban and suburban settings. Our analysis finds while most DER generators would be modestly compensated for deferred transmission and distribution infrastructure upgrades (~0.01 $\$$/kWh for solar PV), a subset of projects receive significant value from this component (0.035 to 0.089 $\$$/kWh for top 5% of parcels for solar PV). Finally, our analysis finds VDER provides less overall compensation than NEM to the average DER generator, however, it increases access to compensation for front-of-the-meter DERs - a large and emerging market.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

VPP Participation Models: What is the Objective?

Virtual power plants (VPPs) can provide grid services by aggregating and controlling many distributed energy resources. However, their design, operation, level of participation, and outcomes depend on the regulatory and market environments they operate in, DER owner preferences, grid service value, and technical capabilities (e.g., communications, forecasting, controls, user interfaces). Although VPPs are inherently complex, they could enable high shares of behind-the-meter solar plus storage and reduce the cost of electrifying, e.g., personal vehicles and space heating.

demand response↗

DOE OSTI2024

Behind-the-meter Infrastructure Costs for Electrification Progression (BICEP) Model

The Behind-the-meter Infrastructure Costs for Electrification Progression (BICEP) model quantifies the behind-the-meter (BTM) electrical upgrades required for decarbonization through electrification by comparing the expected change in capacity requirements from the electrification technologies to the existing capacity in distributed energy resources (DER) stock (including buildings).

Yoder, Tim↗

DOE OSTI2023

Decarbonizing all-electric communities via carbon-responsive control of behind-the-meter resources

The progression of electrification in the building and transportation sectors brings new opportunities for energy decarbonization. With higher dependence on the grid power supply, the variation of the grid carbon emission intensity can be utilized to reduce the carbon emissions from the two sectors. Existing coordinated control methods for buildings with distributed energy resources (DERs) either consider electricity price or renewable energy generation as the input signal, or adopt optimization in the decision-making, which is difficult to implement in the real-world environment. This paper aims to propose and validate an easy-to-deploy rule-based carbon responsive control framework that facilitates coordination between all-electric buildings and electric vehicles (EVs). The signals of the grid carbon emission intensity and the local photovoltaics (PV) generation are used for shifting the controllable loads. Extensive simulations were conducted using a model of an all-electric mixed-use community in a cold climate to validate the control performance with metrics such as emissions, energy consumption, peak demand, and EV end-of-day state-of-charge (SOC). Our study identifies that 4.5% to 27.1% of annual emission reduction can be achieved with limited impact on energy costs, peak demand, and thermal comfort. Additionally, up to 32.7% of EV emission reduction can be obtained if the EV owners reduce the target SOC by less than 21.2%.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2023

Optimal Storage Response to Utility Tariff Structures and Potential Use of Capacity Charges

Energy storage is increasingly being deployed in behind-the-meter use cases, partially in response to falling lithium-ion prices and new utility tariff structures. Utilities are grappling with new tariff design in the presence of distributed energy resources (DER), trying to motivate, fairly price the contribution of, and, in some cases, discourage, certain operation of DER. There are opportunities for energy storage under emerging tariff structures, but utility net load management objectives for storage remain unclear. Diverse tariff structures motivate the use of energy storage to provide one or a combination of: energy arbitrage, energy shifting, solar self-consumption, and import shaving. This paper formulates a linear optimization to demonstrate the optimal storage tariff response, examining customer net load metrics under diverse utility tariff structures, such as time-of-use, net metering, feed-in tariffs, zero export tariffs, and demand charges. A key contribution of this paper is the introduction and examination of a capacity charge as mechanism that can both motivate reductions in both peak import, and exports, along with greater load levelling.

behind-the-meter↗

DOE OSTI2024

Multi-agent voltage control in distribution systems using GAN-DRL-based approach

Active distribution grids can experience voltage fluctuations and violations due to the high penetration of variable distributed energy resources (DERs). These problems might occur because of the uncertain and variable generation natures of these resources, especially solar photovoltaic resources, during panel shadowing scenarios. Volt-VAR control (VVC) is an efficient method that controls the reactive power set-points of the inverters to regulate the voltage of distribution grids. Although several VVC approaches have been proposed recently, the performance of these approaches degrades significantly if behind-the-meter solar generation data are unobservable/missing. Therefore, it is necessary to impute missing/unobservable PV data accurately to be utilized in VVC approaches. Further, this paper proposes a model-free, data-driven, centrally trained, and decentrally executed multi-agent deep reinforcement learning-based VVC architecture to regulate the voltage of distribution networks. A generative adversarial network (GAN) is incorporated to impute the unobservable PV data accurately, which improves the performance of the proposed control architecture. The proposed multi-agent-soft-actor–critic algorithm (MASAC)-based VVC technique utilizes the actual PV dataset as well as the imputed dataset from the GAN framework to learn the optimal coordinated control policy for controlling the optimal reactive power set-points of PV inverters. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is analyzed on a modified IEEE 34-bus test case with added PV inverters. The results are compared and analyzed with a base case model with no VVC and VVC with a local droop control approach, genetic algorithm optimization, and a centralized soft actor–critic-based approach. Moreover, the performance of the proposed approach is compared with that of a multi-agent VVC framework without using the PV generation data and load information as the system state. The results illustrate that the proposed method with more state input improves the voltage profile and reduces the power loss of the network across various loading and PV generation scenarios.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Understanding Community Microgrids

Increasing need for distribution circuit reliability and resilience prompt a clearer understanding of community microgrid interconnection and operational requirements. While customer-owned, behind-the-meter microgrid implementation is not always simple, increasing demand for reliability has commercialized many installation approaches. This rapid commercialization has broadened industry understanding of single-customer microgrid integration. Moreover, off-grid behaviors of such microgrids are not required to meet utility standard interconnection requirements. However, multi-customer community microgrids (utility- or third-party operated), are less well explored and introduce more complex design and operational challenges. The control of DER along with distribution automation devices, unmanned operation, protection coordination, and other aspects makes community microgrids challenging to implement and operate in both on-grid and off-grid modes. This whitepaper is a technical primer for understanding community microgrids. It provides a foundation for understanding the components, configurations, design, and operational considerations for community microgrids.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Cybersecurity Guide for Distributed Wind Presentation

This presentation communicates information about the MIRACL project Resilience Metrics report and Resilience Framework report. It was created for the 2021 MIRACL advisory board meeting. Distributed wind sits at the intersection of grid-connected, off-grid and behind-the-meter cyber-physical electrical energy systems. The unique physical properties and communications requirements for distributed wind systems mean that there are unique cybersecurity considerations, but there is little to no existing guidance on best practices for cybersecurity. This presentation is intended to be a starting point for distributed wind stakeholders including manufacturers, installers and integrators, and operators (facility, aggregator, or utility). A holistic threat perspective is used to describe the adversaries, threats, and potential impacts of cyberattacks, with special emphasis on what sets distributed wind systems apart from other distributed energy resources (DER). We present the recommendations for cybersecurity, both in terms of needs of the system and roles that specific stakeholders should fulfill. Distributed wind systems can come in a variety of architectures and applications, so there is no one-size-fits-all approach to cybersecurity. However, this document contains the relevant information for stakeholders to identify the cybersecurity needs of their system, refer to relevant standards, and apply best practices in a manner most consistent with their security and operational goals.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Distribution Grid Impact Study in Highland Park, Michigan: Understanding Rooftop Solar, Behind-the-Meter Energy Storage, Electric Vehicle Charging, and Building Electrification [Slides]

Through the Communities LEAP (Local Energy Action Program) Pilot, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) engaged the Highland Park Stakeholder Coalition to scope four technical assistance work areas to address their energy needs and goals. This slide deck addresses the highlighted tasks under work area "B" related to policy analysis, due diligence, and case studies for removing barriers and providing best practices for local clean energy development. Highland Park community members face frequent, long-duration power interruptions due largely to the aging distribution system serving the area and the legacy design standards used in its construction. While degrading physical infrastructure such as poles, crossarms, and transformers can result in this substandard reliability, another notable characteristic of this legacy system is the lower, 4.8 kV, voltage class. This is a legacy construction standard which many utilities, DTE included, are phasing out in favor of higher, 15 or 25 kV, voltage classes instead. The existing 4.8 kV distribution system serving Highland Park may limit significant adoptions of clean-energy technologies like high percentages of building electrification or electric vehicle adoption. The following analysis seeks to quantify these limitations under a variety of clean-energy technology adoption scenarios. It compares the overall system risks of the present system to those of a hypothetical, upgraded 13.2 kV system, using NREL-developed risk metrics and offers upgrade cost considerations. The legacy 4.8 kV voltage class serving Highland park is not, as we have modeled it, a major limitation to the widespread adoption of cost-optimal rooftop solar and/or behind-the-meter energy storage. Within our modeling framework, these technologies namely impact secondary, low-voltage assets, which may be remedied without the need for a system-wide upgrade to a 13.2 kV voltage class. Our model of the current 4.8kV system indicates it is not capable of supporting community-wide electrification efforts. Widespread building electrification, and the resulting large increase in wintertime load, dramatically increases the prevalence of voltage violations and thermal overloading on the current 4.8 kV distribution system. These impacts illustrate the need for system-wide upgrades to a 13.2 kV voltage class to accommodate these technologies. Low to Moderate DER adoption does not adversely impact the grid but does improve undervoltage and asset overloading issues. However, these benefits are insufficient to defer grid upgrades. Higher DER penetration is shown to increase overvoltage and asset overloading in future electrification scenarios.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Key Insights: Interconnecting Behind-the-Meter Microgrids

This technical brief explores the interconnection challenges and evolving standards associated with behind-the-meter (BTM), facility-scale microgrids. It clarifies key functions related to customer microgrids and backup systems while addressing critical questions regarding certification coverage, operational impacts, customer relationships, and testing requirements for BTM microgrid systems. The document emphasizes the need for updated standards and additional witness testing to ensure safe and effective microgrid operation as well as improved grid integration and compliance with power quality standards.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2022

Making Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings a “Win” for Both Customers and Utilities

Buildings account for more than 70% of U.S. electricity use and at least one-third of U.S. economy-wide CO2 emissions. Changing the timing and overall amount of electricity consumption in buildings would significantly reduce energy costs to consumers and facilitate the transition to a decarbonized economy. Grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEBs) incorporate energy efficiency, smart technologies, and active use of distributed energy resources (DERs) to provide these benefits. As the link between the customer and the power system, utilities are central to widespread deployment of GEBs. Yet, despite the significant cost savings and operational benefits of GEBs for utilities, deployment has remained limited. This paper explores emerging models for enabling utilities to facilitate GEB adoption. Building off foundational research conducted to develop the U.S. DOE’s A National Roadmap for Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings, we describe the most novel recent examples of ways in which utilities and regulators have made demand-side innovation a win for both the customer and the utility. Emerging concepts include: (1) performance incentive mechanisms to align GEB deployment with utility financial motivations, (2) the use of subscription pricing (i.e., fixed monthly bills) to promote load flexibility and energy efficiency, (3) rate-basing utility-controlled behind-the-meter assets, and (4) coupling energy efficiency and load flexibility with electrification proposals to ensure that customer benefits are maximized. The paper concludes with a discussion about prospects for widespread GEB deployment and utilization by utilities, and how to scale efforts.

Satchwell, Andrew↗