Understanding NERC compliance for solar PV projects

Ensuring NERC Compliance: A Must-Know for Solar PV Projects

In the last year, AlsoEnergy, a Stem company, has provided utility-grade monitoring and control solutions for the largest solar PV sites in Oregon and Washington. With more and more large-scale solar PV projects being built and energizing substantial renewable energy for communities, it’s important to understand the compliance requirements for these projects; this includes compliance with North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) standards, which is essential when developing, owning, or managing a solar PV project. 

What is NERC compliance for solar PV projects?

The focus of NERC’s compliance program is to improve the reliability of the bulk power system in North America by impartially and consistently enforcing their Reliability Standards. Specifically, the program is designed to ensure correct practices are in place to reduce the likelihood and severity of future system disturbances.

Although the project owner is responsible for registering a facility with NERC when a solar PV site is fully commissioned, planning for NERC compliance should be addressed early in the project development. Compliance regulations can be daunting and confusing, requiring time and expertise to navigate and keep projects on target.

Which energy stakeholders need to be concerned about NERC for solar PV projects?

NERC compliance is ultimately about ensuring that solar PV projects – whether new or existing – are operating and integrated safely into the electric grid at all times. This is achieved through mandatory reliability standards that cover a broad range of topics, including personnel safety, equipment maintenance, and cybersecurity.

NERC standards are designed to ensure that solar PV projects operate safely, instilling public confidence in the reliability and resilience of the North American power grid. It is important to note that NERC compliance is mandatory for all entities that operate on the power grid, which includes anyone who develops, owns, or manages solar PV projects.

For solar PV developers, NERC compliance is a critical factor to consider in the planning stages of a project. Compliance with NERC standards must be integrated into the overall design of a solar PV project, ensuring that it is constructed and operated safely and follows NERC guidelines from the outset.

Which solar PV project sizes require NERC compliance?

If constructing a solar PV farm large enough to interconnect at a transmission level of 100 kV or higher and designed to have enough production capacity to have greater than 75 MVA behind that interconnection, the project is considered part of the Bulk Electric System and must register with NERC.

What is the future of NERC compliance for the renewable energy market?

NERC compliance is an essential aspect of solar PV projects, and it’s a regulatory requirement that developers, owners, and managers cannot ignore. By following NERC standards, asset managers, solar project owners, and developers can protect public safety and contribute to the reliability and security of the North American power grid. NERC compliance is also critical in maintaining the public’s confidence in the power grid’s safety and stability. With the continued growth of solar PV projects, compliance with NERC standards will remain crucial to ensure solar energy’s long-term success and sustainability as part of the wider energy landscape.

An emerging new standard is the NERC GO-IBR registered entity function which will apply to transmission connected inverter base resources between 75MVA and 20MVA aggregate nameplate capacity.  The new standards will be implemented over the next 3 year period, and AlsoEnergy will closely monitor this standard development in order to inform future solutions and provide related solution expertise to customers.

How does AlsoEnergy’s solution support NERC compliance?

Providing safety for critical infrastructures, AlsoEnergy’s solutions are designed to protect your solar PV system resources. With PA 220 Firewalls using an IPSec tunnel and VPN client, our full cybersecurity and networking configuration are designed to meet your NERC and CIP requirements.

Reach out to one of our expert team members today at Sales@AlsoEnergy.com to discuss AlsoEnergy’s utility-grade monitoring and controls and other NERC-compliance solutions.