Minnesota Pioneers Integration of New Interconnection Standard Expected to Propel DERs
Originally published in UtilityDive
By Sara Baldwin, IREC VP-Regulatory
December 9, 2019
On Nov. 14, Minnesota became the first state to officially integrate the recently updated IEEE Standard 1547™-2018 into its statewide interconnection regulations when the Minnesota Public Service Commission adopted a new statewide technical standards document, known as the Technical Interconnection and Interoperability Requirements (TIIR). This important step will enable more streamlined adoption of smart inverters and more sophisticated DER technologies, communications and controls.
A handful of states are beginning to integrate the IEEE 1547™-2018 into statewide interconnection standards, though Minnesota marks the first state to adopt provisions into statewide regulations.
The Minnesota Commission’s vote to adopt the TIIR is a meritorious milestone that marks the end of a two-phase interconnection reform proceeding that started in early 2016. The TIIR provides specific guidance on technical requirements for distributed energy resources (DERs) connecting to the grid.
Notably, the TIIR addresses an array of technical settings and functionalities that DERs should have when connecting to the grid.
As part of their ruling, and heeding IREC’s recommendation, the Commission determined that the Distributed Generation Working Group will need to address a number of important near-term implementation details to ensure a smooth rollout of the standards.
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