Traditionally, electric utilities have supplied energy based on predicted demand. This paradigm is rapidly changing as an increasing number of less-predictable Distributed Energy Resources, particularly solar, come online. Increased penetration of DER has intermittent and currently uncontrolled effects on the grid leading to grid stability issues, including blackouts, ironically due to over production of energy.
California, along with many other states, has made great strides in recent years to define a solution that mitigates the problems associated with increased penetration of rooftop solar. This has culminated in the recent decision by the California Public Utility Commission requiring communicating smart inverters allowing centralized Utility coordination to maintain grid reliability. This decision is known as CA rule 21 Interconnection standard and is widely expected to be adopted in the very near future by other states, especially Hawaii, where the situation is considered critical.
CA Rule 21 has selected the IEEE2030.5 standard (also known as Smart Energy Profile 2.0) as the default communications protocol. IEEE2030.5 is a secure, scalable, and consumer-friendly application-layer protocol built upon standard Internet protocols. The standard contains DER object models, direct controls, autonomous curves, and status and metrology information. These features ensure the Utility has the tools necessary to maintain grid stability and reliability.
Kitu has developed proven system solutions necessary for Utility Head End Systems, DER Aggregation Services and Smart Inverter Management by integrating our Smart Energy IoT modular building blocks. Smart Inverter manufacturers can enable compliance with our embedded IEEE 2030.5 solution.
