The ETS22 was full of insightful discussions on the current and future state of the grid. With an aging infrastructure and an increased integration of renewable energy resources the need for processes that ensure resiliency and reliability of the grid are more urgent than ever. A panel headlined by Michael Oshetski, CEO, Micatu and Dwayne Stradford, Managing Director of enterprise NERC reliability Assurance, Strategic Initiatives, AEP discussed current challenges to renewable energy integration while achieving resiliency and reliability.

Key takeaways

• Renewable energy is affected by many factors. The more  renewable energy sources we integrate into the systems, the more reliable it is.
• It’s important to deploy the proper communication networks to bring in the wealth of data. Integrate generation, transmission, and distribution efforts for a consolidated successful growth.
• The transformation of the grid has to change from a linear topology to a circular topology with the rise of the prosumer.
• We need to ensure the collection of quality data, documentation, and ensure adequate flow of data from the ground to a central repository. And from there implement surveillance to stay within the boundaries and timelines of the actions to take care of the grid. 
• Operational awareness using data in addition to imagery with the use of continuously developing technology that is less reactive and more proactive are becoming more available. It all comes down to the data and we need to be more predictive and less reactive.
• It’s important to start at the basics. Build the algorithms in place and then learn from them and grow from there. Deploying those algorithms ensures processes in place and avoid relearning the same processes. The more you can deploy that institutional knowledge and memorialize it, the better off you’ll be moving forward.
• Energy independence is important for grid reliability, not only at the social and economic levels but also at the sovereign state level. 
• Transitioning to a digital grid should be tackled in three phases. Generation resources, more computerized substation infrastructure, and personnel will have to be more digitally savvy. The digital grid of the future will not be just energy consumption. It’s going to be a much deeper layer of data from our smartphones. And AI is a big part of that.

Renewables are increasingly an imperative part of our grid. Resiliency cannot be compromised. The panel was packed with well rounded actionable insights to approach managing both. Transforming the grid while ensuring resilience is a multilayered challenge that has to be tackled with deploying the right tools and data, training and preparing the workforce, and recognizing the active role that the customer plays in the process.