The project team proposes to demonstrate grid services, including frequency regulation, voltage regulation, and others, using mixed grid-following (GFL) and grid-forming (GFM) technologies at the…

The project team proposes to demonstrate grid services, including frequency regulation, voltage regulation, and others, using mixed grid-following (GFL) and grid-forming (GFM) technologies at the wheatridge renewable energy facility in oregon state. The wheatridge renewable energy facility is north america's first energy center to combine wind, solar, and battery storage in one location, with 300 MW of wind, 50 MW of solar, and 30 MW of energy storage systems. The project team will upgrade a portion of wind and battery storage from the conventional GFL control to the advanced GFM control and demonstrate the grid services provided by both GFM and GFL inverter-based resources (ibrs). Specifically, the GFL ibrs in the power plant including the 50 MW solar and 30 MW battery, as well as wind turbines that have not upgraded to GFM, will be demonstrated in the field simultaneously with upgraded GFM ibrs to draw conclusions about the respective grid services in terms of model analysis and control strategies. This will be the first time grid-forming ibrs, including wind and battery storage, are connected to US bulk power systems, and demonstrated at the same site for grid services. The success of this project will greatly assist utilities in better understanding the advantages and disadvantages of both GFM and GFL technologies in providing various grid services and gain confidence for system operators to use ibrs to provide grid services with both technologies, paving the way for the US bulk power systems with extremely high penetration of renewables. Additionally, this project will establish a two-way communication channel between grid engineers and inverter vendors so that they can collaborate to better understand the real needs of IBR controls to better provide grid services to the power grid.