How grid code compliance studies work for renewable connections

Every new renewable plant has to show that it will behave as the network needs it to, before it is allowed to connect. It shows that through simulation. Engineers build detailed models of the plant, run them through a defined set of tests, and present the results against the requirements of the grid code. The same work is repeated whenever a plant changes, from a controller firmware update to a component outage.

Two kinds of simulation

Most compliance work relies on two complementary studies. RMS studies, often run in PSS®E, represent how the plant and the wider system behave over seconds, at the level of the power system as a whole. EMT studies, often run in PSCAD, model the fast electromagnetic behaviour of inverters and their controls in much finer detail.

Each answers a different question, and connection processes increasingly ask for both. In Australia's National Electricity Market, for example, a connection application includes model acceptance test reports for both PSS®E and PSCAD models.

What a model acceptance test checks

Before a network operator uses a plant model in its own studies, it needs confidence that the model behaves correctly. In Australia, AEMO's modelling requirements (opens in a new tab) include the Dynamic Model Acceptance Test, which runs the model through a defined set of tests on a simple arrangement, so the response observed comes from the plant alone. The results are then assessed against the performance standards set under the National Electricity Rules (opens in a new tab).

Where the time goes

The physics is demanding, but much of the effort is not engineering at all. A typical assessment involves local simulation runs, exported result files, plots, spreadsheets, regulatory documents and reports written by hand.

• Each run has to be set up, executed and checked, often across many cases.
• Results are compared against criteria manually, which invites inconsistent interpretation.
• Compliance gaps are often discovered late, when they are most expensive to fix.
• Much of the work depends on a few senior engineers, who end up checking rather than solving.

Automating the workflow without sharing models

Plant models are proprietary, and owners and vendors are rightly reluctant to send them outside their own environment. A useful approach keeps the models where they are. The Connection Assessment Tool from East-West Digital is built this way.

• Automation scripts run locally, using your own PSCAD and PSS®E licences, so models never leave your environment.
• Only the simulation outputs are uploaded, for analysis in the cloud.
• A pass and fail engine gives clear, auditable verdicts against the grid code criteria.
• An AI assistant explains the relevant grid code clauses in context, so engineers spend less time searching documents.
• Standardised DOCX and PDF reports are produced from the results, ready to share with regulators, owners and vendors.

A note on scope. Today the tool's compliance criteria cover the Australian DMAT and National Electricity Rules workflows. Other grid codes would need their own rule sets.

Who benefits

• Developers and asset owners preparing a connection package, or reassessing a plant after a change.
• Consultants delivering several studies with different models and reporting requirements.
• Turbine, inverter and plant control vendors validating a model before sharing it.
• Network operators reviewing a growing volume of applications.
• Compliance and regulatory reviewers who need to see what was tested and how conclusions were reached.

None of this replaces engineering judgement. It removes the repetitive work around it, so engineers can concentrate on the cases that genuinely need them.