Learn More About 1547a-2020 These standards have been replaced with a revised version of the standard, or by a compilation of the original active standard and all its existing amendments, corrigenda, and errata.
IEEE 1547 (Standard for Interconnecting Distributed Resources with Electric Power Systems) is a standard of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers meant to provide a set of criteria and requirements for the interconnection of distributed generation resources into the power grid.
In early 1999, the IEEE approved the undertaking of P1547. With the support of the United States Department of Energy, the project was initiated on a fast-track basis, which would halve the usual development time. The draft standard was revised 10 times before P1547/Draft 11 was approved with a 91% vote in February 2003. It was then approved by the IEEE Standards Board on June 12, 2003, and received an ANSI designation on October 20, 2003.[2]
IEEE 1547-2003 had a tight underfrequency protection setting of 59.3 Hz which posed a risk for grid stability. In case of an underfrequency situation,[3] e.g. after a major loss of generation, the situation may get worse when a multitude of distributed energy resources (DER) disconnect simultaneously. IEEE 1547-2003 demanded also an obligatory overfrequency disconnection at 60.5 Hz. With a rising share of distributed generation there is a possibility of triggering a non-linear oscillator in the multi GW range within the transmission grid. In Europe, this problem with similar standards has already been addressed by ENTSO-E.[4] IEEE 1547-2018 now allows operation from 56.5Hz to 62Hz with frequency droop included.
"Interconnection services shall be offered based upon the standards developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers: IEEE Standard 1547 for Interconnecting Distributed Resources With Electric Power Systems, as they may be amended from time to time."[5]
Participants of SCC21-approved tutorials on IEEE Std 1547-2018 and qualifying parties (e.g., government bodies and state regulatory authorities) may obtain a discounted copy of the standard by following these guidelines: -scc21/standards/discountedcopies/
Information on the 2020 Amendment to IEEE Std 1547-2018 to provide more flexibility for adoption of abnormal operating performance Category III is available at: -scc21/standards/amendment-to-ieee-std-1547-2018-to-provide-more-flexibility-for-adoption-of-abnormal-operating-performance-category-iii/
On February 12, 2020, the Board of Directors of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) unanimously approved a resolution offered by Commissioner Schuerger (MN) recommending state commissions adopt and implement the newly revised distributed energy resource interconnection standard (IEEE 1547-2018.) The resolution also unanimously passed two NARUC committees: Electricity and Energy Resources and the Environment.
The resolution grants flexibility for state commissions recognizing the unique procedures, priorities and needs for each state; while recognizing the best practices identified by technical experts and IEEE 1547-2018 for convening a stakeholder process, utilizing existing research and experience to make evidence-based decisions and aligning the implementation of the standard with the availability of certified equipment.
UL convened a Task Group (TG) in January 2020 comprised of representatives from National Labs, Electric Utilities, Inverter Manufacturers, General Interest, and Nationally Recognized Testing Labs (NRTLs) to discuss and revise the existing UL 1741 Ed. 2, an UL certification standard for smart inverters, in order to align it with the new IEEE 1547-2018, IEEE 1547a-2020, and IEEE 1547.1-2020 standards requirements and test procedures for distributed energy resources.
The UL 1741 Ed. 2 revision was published September 16, 2020, shortly after the publication of IEEE 1547.1-2020 and the IEEE 1547a-2020 Amendment. A year later, a 3rd Edition of UL 1741 was published September 28, 2021 that resolved some consistency issues in Ed. 2 that were identified by inverter manufacturers. The UL 1741 Ed. 3 is considered the definite certification standard for smart inverters in line with the latest IEEE 1547 standards and is available on the UL 1741 website here.
As part of our SCC21 outreach for IEEE Std 1547-2018, SCC21 is happy to provide interested lecturers with pre-reviewed slide decks for presentations on the new IEEE 1547 under the condition of mutual collaboration. That will save presenters time, maintain consistency in the presentations, and enable continuous improvement of the new standard. Presenters that use SCC21-reviewed slides agree to conform to the SCC21-approved outreach procedures for standards presentations available at this link: -scc21/resources/standardspresentations/
NRECA (2019): Guide to IEEE 1547-2018 Standard for DER Interconnections. National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). Available online at -distribution/Pages/NRECA-Guide-to-IEEE-1547-2018-Standard-for-DER-Interconnections.aspx .
IREC (2019): Making the Grid Smarter. Primer on Adopting the New IEEE 1547-2018 Standard for Distributed Energy Resources. Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Available online at -the-grid-smarter-state-primer-on-adopting-the-new-ieee-standard-1547-2018-for-distributed-energy-resources/ .
Since Standard 1547 was first created, technology has become more sophisticated and the modern electric grid has experienced increased levels of penetration. Due to the increase in DER interconnection applications, there have been ample impacts on utilities, the reliability of the grid, and the quality of electric service to customers. The revised version of the standard was made to establish new DER Requirements to keep the integrity of it intact in the long term.
After undergoing an extensive revision process, Standard 1547-2018 went into effect as of August 2018. The revised standard leverages the capabilities of inverter-based DERs and allows them to operate like conventional generators. By providing requirements relevant to performance, safety considerations, and the maintenance of interconnection, the standard determines how DER devices are designed and tested. It will also define how DER will be integrated into the power system going forward.
The second revision of IEEE 1547 was published in 2018 and is referred to as IEEE 1547-2018. This document contains the underlying requirements for interconnection and relies on other companion Standards for testing and certification.
IEEE 1547.1-2020 is the companion testing Standard that is used to verify that the DER includes the capabilities required in IEEE 1547-2018. UL 1741 Supplement SB is the product testing Standard used by testing agencies to evaluate products in order to certify their compliance with IEEE 1547-2018 and 1547.1-2020.
A key question regarding compliance is what version of UL 1741 is required. All Enphase products are currently evaluated to UL 1741 Supplement SA. 1741 SA was developed to demonstrate compliance with CA Rule 21 and HI Rule 14H. Some utilities, e.g., SRP in AZ, require IEEE 1547-2018 settings and functions but only require evaluation using UL 1741 SA.
IEEE 1547-2018 adds new requirements for interoperability. IEEE 1547-2018 defines Interoperability as: The capability of two or more networks, systems, devices, applications, or components to externally exchange and readily use information securely and effectively.
IEEE 1547-2018 requires the local communications interface to remain available whenever the DER is operating. This indirectly creates a requirement for the IQ Gateway not to reboot during and following a low voltage ride through event. The IQ Gateway hardware was redesigned to meet this requirement so installers must only choose from the list of supported hardware and be running software versions 7.3.460 or later to be fully compliant.
Note: Enphase IQ7 and IQ8 Microinverters and IQ Battery 3/3T/10/10T products meet the requirements for IEEE 1547-2018, and when installed with the above supported hardware, according to the provided instructions, create a fully compliant DER System.
IEEE 1547 requires the interoperability functions to support one of three communication protocols: IEEE 2030.5, Sunspec (Modbus or TCP), or DNP 3. The protocol used at a given site is specified by the utility.
Enphase personnel have been actively involved in the development of IEEE 1547-2018, including participating as members of the committees who created these Standards. The Enphase Energy System has been designed to be able to comply with IEEE 1547-2018. The hardware and SKUs for compliant IQ Gateways and IQ Combiners are changing. The new SKUs are:
Other products i.e., IQ7 and IQ8 solar microinverters, IQ Batteries with IQ8X-BAT battery microinverters and IQ System Controller 1/2 only require firmware upgrades to be compliant with IEEE 1547-2018 requirements. IQ Gateway software version 7.3.463 or higher includes the necessary firmware and ensure all the aforementioned components are automatically upgraded to the necessary firmware.
Most systems with M Series Microinverters have a legacy Envoy S. Envoy S products are not IEEE 1547:2018 compliant and will not become compliant. If you wish to add storage to an M Series site with a legacy Envoy S, it could trigger a new interconnection agreement which may require IEEE 1547:2018 compliance and thus require an upgrade to compliant hardware. It will be up to the utility.
To ease the integration of distributed energy resources (DER), like solar energy and energy storage, into the electric power system, in April 2018, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) released the revised IEEE 1547 standard, IEEE 1547-2018. This revision was motivated in part by the growth of solar and other DER on the grid and will help DER developers, utilities, equipment vendors, and others that use the standard ensure a safe and reliable electricity system.
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