Related Files
Status
The comment period for draft three of VAR-002-5 - Generator Operation for Maintaining Network Voltage Schedules concluded 8 p.m. Eastern, Monday, November 6, 2023. The comments received and ballot results can be accessed via the links below.
The standard drafting team will review all comments received and determine the next steps of the project.
Background
NERC Project 2021-02 proposed revisions address the NERC Inverter-based Resource Performance Task Force (IRPTF) Standard Authorization Request (SAR) and the VAR-002 Enhanced Periodic Review (EPR), NERC Project 2016-EPR-02, to address ambiguities of voltage and reactive resource Requirements concerning dispersed power producing resources. The IRPTF issued an IRPTF White Paper, March 2020, evaluating today's current standards and requirements of Inverter Based Resources (IBRs) to determine whether current Standards sufficiently address the needs for IBRs.
For dispersed power producing resources, it is not clear if a GOP is required to notify the TOP for the status change of voltage control on an individual generating unit. NERC Project 2014-01 Standards Applicability for Dispersed Generation Resources (nerc.com) revised VAR-002, Requirement R4, to clarify that it is not applicable to individual generating units of dispersed power producing resources. The IRPTF did not identify any reason why Requirement R3 should be treated differently than Requirement R4 in this respect and recommends VAR-002-4.1 be modified to make this same clarification to Requirement R3.
From a historical perspective, Requirements R3 and R4 dispersed Generation considerations, Project 2014-01 VAR-002-4 SDT Consideration of Comments, provided the following:
Project 2014-01 posted The DGR SDT understands that the generation facilities subject to Inclusion I4 of the BES definition can be comprised of individual generating units that are typically controlled by centralized voltage/reactive controllers that can be considered alternative voltage control devices as listed in Requirement R4. Additionally, there are generation facilities that perform voltage/reactive control at the individual power producing resource. The DGR SDT has determined that a status change of these controllers should be reported regardless of which voltage/reactive control design is used at a facility, which explains why the exclusion was not extended to Requirement R3. The exclusion in Requirement R4 was intended to exclude reporting of an individual generator at a dispersed generating facility coming offline as a change in reactive capability.
Standard(s) Affected
– VAR-002-4.1
Purpose/Industry Need
To
clarify VAR-002-4.1, Requirement R3, in regards to whether the GOP of a
dispersed power resource must notify its associated TOP upon a status change of
a voltage controlling device on an individual generating unit; for example, if
a single inverter goes offline in a solar photo-voltaic (PV) Facility.
Project
2016-EPR-02 Enhanced Periodic Review of Voltage and Reactive Standards”
recommendations (Attachment 5) should be considered within the “Project 2021-02
Modifications to VAR-002-4.1 SAR. Recommendations provide a review of VAR-002
Requirements R1-R6 for consideration of IBR Voltage/VAR control and operation.
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