The Grid Research, Innovation, and Transformation initiative is intended to facilitate collaboration between ERCOT and expert stakeholders.
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The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the operator of the state’s primary energy grid, has announced a new collaborative initiative to help it keep pace with new technologies that could impact the state’s energy future.
Dubbed as its Grid Research, Innovation, and Transformation , or “GRIT,” the new initiative is intended to facilitate collaboration between ERCOT and expert stakeholders. Its aim is to understanding of the impacts of emerging technology on the state’s energy landscape, and to examine “prototype concepts” to help ERCOT address future energy challenges, according to a Sept. 23 ERCOT release.
“As the ERCOT grid continues to rapidly evolve, we are seeing greater interest from industry and academia to collaborate on … innovative technologies to advance the reliability … of tomorrow’s energy systems,” said ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas. “These efforts will provide an opportunity to share ideas and bring new innovations forward, as we work together to lead the evolution and expansion of the electric power grid.”
According to ERCOT, three key components of GRIT include:
Grid Transformation Initiatives
As it considers new solutions to emerging challenges posed by load growth, generation mix changes, digitization, and weather events, ERCOT will share white papers and research with external stakeholders. This sharing is intended to streamline the collaborative process.
Research and Innovation Partnership Engagement (RIPE)
ERCOT has launched the Research and Innovation Partnership Engagement (RIPE) program to facilitate engagement between ERCOT and interested expert parties with a goal of developing and identifying innovative technologies.
ERCOT Innovation Summit
ERCOT will host an annual Innovation Summit to explore innovative approaches to grid management. The Summit is designed for stakeholders in energy research interested in understanding how ERCOT and other ISOs use the latest technologies to enhance the reliability, efficiency, and adaptability of power grids.
ERCOT also announced that it has launched a new GRIT section on its website. It can be found here.