ERCOT Partners with Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station to Research Large Loads

(Austin, TX) – The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. (ERCOT) today announced that it is partnering with the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) to develop detailed generic dynamic models of large loads—such as data centers, crypto, and electrolyzers—and how these loads change their power output during and after a period of grid disturbances (e.g., faults and other power quality events). The partnership is part of ERCOT’s recently announced Grid Research, Innovation, and Transformation (GRIT) program.  

“Most of the large loads range from tens to hundreds of megawatts and are based on power electronics technology,” said Prashant Kansal, ERCOT Director of Grid Transformation. “This represents a similar shift to what has been seen in the change from conventional generation to inverter-based generation—only at a much larger scale for loads and will introduce complexities and new ways in which large load interacts with the grid.”

With the significant growth of large loads on the grid, ERCOT is collaborating with TEES to accelerate the development of generic models for various conceptual studies, gain a better understanding of plant-level characteristics, and benchmark models in the lab.

“It is critical to accurately model large load behavior during and immediately after grid disturbances to understand grid stability, which drives how ERCOT plans and operates the grid,” added Jeff Billo, ERCOT Director of Operations Planning. “These models are among the first available open-source Electromagnetic Transient (EMT) models developed based on the best available information and are a good first step towards improving data center modeling.”

Texas A&M University electrical and computer engineering faculty members Dr. Prasad Enjeti and Dr. Xin Chen are co-leading this research initiative, bringing power electronics hardware and power systems modeling expertise together to help develop these dynamic models.

“Texas A&M has a test setup with computer power supply and expertise working with different power electronics applications and simulation tools that is critical for success of this work,” Enjeti said.

The successful completion of this work will enable more accurate grid study assumptions and recommendations for desirable large load characteristics, which will help solve growing concern about grid stability. Fundamentally, this work will support ongoing conversation about industry needs.

About Grid Research, Innovation, and Transformation (GRIT)
ERCOT’s Grid Research, Innovation, and Transformation (GRIT) initiative will advance research and prototyping of emerging concepts and solutions to deeply understand the implications of rapid grid and technology evolution, positioning ERCOT to lead in the future energy landscape. Visit the GRIT webpages to learn more.

###