IEEE-ISTO Announces Formation of the Universal Interoperability for Grid-Forming inverters (UNIFI) Consortium
2024年7月12日 - 8:15PM
The IEEE Industry Standards and Technology Organization (ISTO), an
international federation of leading groups and consortia dedicated
to the advancement of standardized technologies for the benefit of
industry, today announces its newest member program, the UNIFI
Consortium.
The Universal Interoperability
for Grid-Forming Inverters
(UNIFI) Consortium is a U. S. Department of Energy
(DOE) funded effort to advance grid-forming (GFM) inverter
technology, that is now officially forming as an unincorporated
501c6 not for profit with ISTO. UNIFI’s mission is to facilitate
the transition of electric power grids around the world to
seamlessly accommodate grid-forming technology across all power
levels. To target this generational shift in the form and function
of the power grid, the UNIFI team brings together leading
researchers, industry stakeholders, utilities, and system operators
to collaboratively pursue advances in a broad range of GFM
technologies, led by DOE’s National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL), The University of Texas – Austin, and EPRI.
UNIFI aims to cultivate and foster a culture of engagement and
innovation by bringing together expertise across technology sectors
to identify and fill gaps in technologies, business models,
standards, and human factors. In particular, UNIFI is conducting
and coordinating research, development, and demonstration, as well
as creating educational and workforce training materials focusing
on planning, designing, and operating grids with a high level of
GFM Inverter-based Resources (IBRs). Activities are organized
around three areas: research & development (R&D),
demonstration & commercialization (D&C), and outreach &
training (O&T). UNIFI stays true to its name as it works to
unify the integration of conventional power plants with
inverter-based resources in power systems across all physical
scales.
“The UNIFI Consortium is tackling the challenge of making sure
that large power systems are capable of integrating as much wind,
solar, batteries, and other inverter- based resources as possible
while maintaining the operational stability, reliability, and
resilience of the grid,” explains Ben Kroposki, NREL, UNIFI
Consortium Organizational Director.
UNIFI’s relevance, value, and impact are centered around
facilitating the integration of renewables, driving transportation
electrification, and broadly expanding electrification efforts via
cutting-edge grid-forming inverter technology. The Consortium is
governed by UNIFI’s leadership team, composed of experts from
across academia, industry, and research laboratories.
Dr. Daniel Burnett, IEEE-ISTO President and CEO, states
“IEEE-ISTO welcomes the UNIFI Consortium as a new member program of
IEEE-ISTO's Federation of Programs. IEEE-ISTO looks forward to
collaborating on this important initiative in the power and energy
space.”
UNIFI currently has 37 Members, including utilities, system
operators, inverter manufacturers, renewable energy integrators,
software vendors, research laboratories and universities. UNIFI is
accepting membership applications from organizations looking to
contribute to the advancement of GFM technology, drive cutting edge
research and specification development, and network with leading
industry experts. UNIFI offers various membership tiers to
accommodate different needs and levels of participation.
For more information, please visit the UNIFI website at
https://unificonsortium.org.
For media inquiries please contact info@unificonsortium.org.