Wide Adoption of Grid-Forming Inverters and Their Impact on a Power Grid: A Case Study of the ERCOT Grid
Year: 2026
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: The power grid has been undergoing rapid and significant changes over the past two decades which the grid dynamic characteristic must be assessed regularly along with the integration of inverter-based resources (IBR). Similar to synchronous generator integration, control mechanisms such as automatic voltage control and power system stabilizers are adopted to facilitate coordination and ensure the stability of a power grid dominated by synchronous generators. With the significant growth of IBRs, ERCOT continuously assesses grid stability to ensure reliable operation. While multiple enhancements had been adopted, such as adding synchronous condensers, requiring IBRs provide voltage and frequency support and ride through performance, ERCOT has also established the Advanced Grid Support (AGS) requirements to new Energy Storage Resources to provide Grid-Forming (GFM) support that is necessary to maintain grid stability. While the implementation and penetration of AGS is not expected to occur immediately, this paper investigates the potential system wide adoption of Grid-forming Inverters (GFMIs) in the ERCOT grid for various IBRs considering their inherent existing operational limitations. Simulation results show that large-scale GFMIs deployment improves voltage and frequency responses following system contingencies, leveraging the ability of GFM IBRs to provide dynamic support across multiple time frames. Moreover, the small-signal stability assessment indicates that adoption of GFM control in the existing Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) can enhance the system’s small-signal stability.
Language: English
Subfield: Control and Systems Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7214192513