Integrated solutions are required for our interconnected power grid.

There’s a transition taking place in the power grid. Actually there are a number of transitions taking place and it’s a normal continuous process. Some are in the foreground while others are in the background, but there are many occupying the middle ground quietly shaping the grid. That takes a lot of time and effort to keep up with it all and stay current. We do have one advantage, these transitions are usually related to each other by the common thread of improving the power delivery system through digital technologies.

Take power electronics for example. It’s one of the longest running and most dominant transitional forces in the power industry with its roots extending back decades. It’s applications are changing the way power grid operates. Essentially it is used for conversion, control, and conditioning of electrical power. This transformation shows no signs of slowing down. Several authorities say that roughly 70% of electrical energy in the U.S. is now processed through power electronics. They don’t see it stopping until that figure increases to 100%, which confirms its influence, but it hasn’t been without some bumps along the way.

Continuous Evolution

Consider the initial deployment of wind and solar generation with their BESS (battery storage systems) backups. These energy sources produce DC (direct voltage) electricity, which needs to be converted to AC (alternating current) for grid use. That requires an inverter, but those available at the time could not handle grid disturbances without tripping. Inverter technology advanced producing grid-forming inverters, which can manage grid disturbances without shutting down.

When increasing numbers of renewables started replacing large coal-fired generators another difficulty was discovered. Grid-inertia was removed with the retirement of the traditional generators, which impacts grid stability. The grid-forming inverter was developed and combined with advanced digital controls to address the grid-inertia issues, but more on that later. There are more examples, but this gives the idea. Power electronics is such a versatile technology that many experts call it the power grid’s equivalent of the Swiss-Army knife.

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