dqBOT: An Automation Tool for Benchmarking Dynamic Quality in Generator Interconnections

In response to the recent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Order 2023, which mandates the use of cluster studies to expedite the interconnection process, Independent System Operators (ISOs) and Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) are now confronted with the challenge of managing hundreds of interconnection applications simultaneously. FERC also requires interconnection customers submitting nonsynchronous generator facilities, such as inverter-based resources (IBRs), to provide the root-mean-square (RMS) positive sequence dynamic model and the validated electromagnetic transient (EMT) model. These requirements, aimed at ensuring model accuracy across various scenarios-such as reactive power limits, frequency and voltage changes, fault ride-through, and grid stiffness-pose a time-consuming and error-prone challenge for engineers. This paper proposed an automation tool, dqBOT, developed to streamline the testing process by automating procedures, reducing misinterpretation, and enabling engineers to focus more on analysis. dqBOT has been validated against the established tools of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), demonstrating qualified results. Additionally, dqBOT can be applied in other ISOs/RTOs to meet their testing requirements. It can also automatically compare the results between RMS and EMT models, accelerating the tuning process of the RMS model.