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Course Outline
Course overview
- Overview of traditional power system operations and protection
- Value of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs)
- Impact of the DERs on power system power quality, transmission and distribution protection
- Grid Modernization
Distribution System Protection and Challenges with DER Penetration
- Limited fault current contribution from inverter based resources and the impact on overcurrent protection
- Ground fault overvoltage on ungrounded systems
- The DER’s frequency and voltage protection
Interconnection transformer and grounding
- Interconnection transformer winding configurations
Impact of Renewable Generation Intermittency on System Power Quality
- Impact of DER switching on/off on the power system quality
- DER flicker and harmonics
IEEE 1547
- An overview of the recently published IEEE 1547 standard
- Standard mandates for DER capabilities i.e. voltage regulations, frequency regulations, interoperability, ride through, etc.
- Performance of these capabilities and the impact on the power system
- Examples of standard adoption
Non-Wires Alternatives
- Evaluate the potential of non-wires alternatives to replace or defer traditional infrastructure investments.
- Analyze the technical and economic aspects of deploying distributed generation as NWAs.
- Understand the challenges and opportunities of implementing DG for NWAs.
Flexible Interconnection
- Analyze and design flexible interconnection solutions for DG integration.
- Develop control strategies and protection schemes for DG integration into flexible interconnection solutions.
Battery Energy Storage
- Battery energy storage technologies
- Applications of BESS in power systems, including load leveling, frequency regulation, peak shaving, and providing backup power
- BESS integration with solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources
Grid Modernization
- Defining grid modernization and its role in power systems
- Objectives of grid modernization, including reliability, renewable integration, and energy efficiency
- Key grid modernization technologies, including modern protection systems, advanced SCADA systems, and DERMS
- Grid modernization challenges, including cybersecurity, financial barriers, and skill development
- Case studies of successful grid modernization projects
Microgrid Case Study
- Ameren Microgrid Overview
- Distributed energy resources in microgrids, including rotating-machine generators, battery energy storage systems, wind, and solar
- Protection of microgrids, including the challenges of microgrid protection, approaches utilizing adaptive relaying, and communications (e.g., IEC 61850 GOOSE), and protection testing
- Microgrid controls, including steady state operation, transitions, and communications with microgrid assets
Instructors and Program Director
Instructors
Babak Enayati
Vice President, Grid Integration Nexamp
Babak Enayati serves as Nexamp’s Vice President of Grid Integration. In this role, he leads a team responsible for managing renewable generation applications submitted to utilities and grid operators, ensuring strict compliance with technical and regulatory requirements.
Prior to joining Nexamp, Babak spent 14 years in the utility industry, holding various engineering and managerial roles focused on distributed energy resource (DER) interconnections. From 2022 to 2023, he served as the Director of Engineering at New Leaf Energy, where he oversaw a team providing technical support for wind, solar, and energy storage developments.
Babak is a Senior Member of IEEE and a licensed Professional Engineer in Massachusetts. He also served as Vice Chair of the IEEE 1547 and IEEE 2800 standards for interconnecting generation onto the distribution and transmission networks.
Michael Higginson
Principal Engineer
Michael Higginson serves as Principal Engineer at S&C Electric Company with over thirteen years of experience in the electric power industry. Michael holds professional engineering licenses in two states and has led power system design, consulting, and analysis for distribution systems and microgrid development, specializing in distributed resource integration, power system protection, and automation. He presently leads development of a new protective device at S&C.
Michael brings extensive experience integrating battery energy storage systems in both microgrid and grid-tied applications. He has led power system analysis and protection efforts for award-winning distribution-integrated microgrid systems and renewable generation projects. Michael currently leads development of IEEE P2030.12 Guide for the Design of Microgrid Protection Systems and led development of its predecessor, which won the 2022 IEEE PES Outstanding Working Group Recognition Award.
Michael actively contributes to IEEE Power & Energy Society and CIGRÉ organizations, earning several awards for his contributions and leadership. He authors papers on microgrid design, operation, and smart inverter system impacts on power systems, and holds patents for innovative solutions in microgrid projects.
Program Director
Shalini Bhat