Regulatory islanding parameters in battery based solar PV for electricity system resiliency

Distributed battery based solar power photovoltaic (PV) systems have the potential to supply electricity during grid outages resulting from extreme weather or other emergency situations. As such, distributed PV can significantly increase the resiliency of the electricity system. In order to take advantage of this capability, however, the PV systems must be designed with regulatory parameters in mind and combined with other technologies, such as smart energy storage and auxiliary generation. Strengthening policy and regulatory support could encourage deployment of PV systems designed for resiliency and improve public safety to power during emergencies. This paper specifies the goals of power resiliency and explains the reasons that most distributed PV systems as installed today in the United States are technically incapable of providing consumer power during a grid outage. It presents the basics and regulatory parameters of designing distributed PV systems for resiliency, including the use of energy storage and Microgrids. The paper concludes with critical policy and regulatory considerations for encouraging the use of these distributed system designs.