Who are the authors of a research roadmap on grid-forming inverters?

Lin, Yashen, Joseph H. Eto, Brian B. Johnson, Jack D. Flicker, Robert H. Lasseter, Hugo N. Villegas Pico, Gab-Su Seo, Brian J. Pierre, and Abraham Ellis. 2020. Research Roadmap on Grid-Forming Inverters. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Should we transition to a grid with more inverter-based resources?

Transitioning to a grid with more inverter-based resources poses major challenges because the operation of future power systems must be based on a combination of the physical properties and control responses of traditional, large synchronous generators as well as those of numerous and diverse inverter-based resources (see Figure ES-1).

Can grid-forming energy storage be used in inverter-based generation?

1 Although the focus of this roadmap is on inverter-based generation, it is also applicable to inverter-based energy storage. The details of grid-forming storage applications—such as during charging, discharging, or state of charge— are beyond the scope of this roadmap. Figure ES-1.

What are grid-forming inverter-based generation sources?

We refer to these generation sources as grid-forming. Today’s inverter-based generation sources generally use phase-locked loops (PLLs), which rely on externally generated voltages by synchronous machines to operate (Yazdani and Iravani 2010; Golestan et al. 2017). We refer to these types of inverter-based generation as grid-following inverters.

Will inverters provide grid-forming services?

This multiyear perspective recognizes that the scale and scope of the types of power systems for which inverters will be called on to provide grid-forming services will and should begin modestly.

What is a grid forming inverter?

In contrast, grid-forming units are predominantly used for voltage regulation instead of current regulation, reactive power can vary for voltage support, and grid-forming inverters natively provide uninterrupted power during islanded conditions.25