Field Validation and Perspective on Distribution-scale Grid-Forming Battery Storage for Synthetic Inertia

Taczi, Istvan and Bereczki, Bence and Hartmann, Bálint and Sőrés, Péter Márk and Vokony, István (2026) Field Validation and Perspective on Distribution-scale Grid-Forming Battery Storage for Synthetic Inertia. In: CIRED 2026 Brussels Workshop, 2026, Brüsszel. (In Press)

Preview

Text FIELD VALIDATION AND PERSPECTIVE.pdf - Accepted Version Download (485kB) | Preview

Abstract

High penetration of inverter-based resources reduces synchronous inertia and changes frequency dynamics, increasing the need for fast stabilising services. Grid-forming battery energy storage systems (BESS) can emulate synchronous-machine behaviour and deliver synthetic inertia by rapidly modulating active power in response to frequency deviations and their rate of change. This paper presents field-validation insights from a distribution-connected 30 kVA / 68.5 kWh grid-forming BESS prototype deployed at distribution level. High-resolution measurements are analysed to extract disturbance-like events and to evaluate response delay, proportionality, and effective inertia. Under naturally occurring frequency variations of the Continental European synchronous area, the prototype exhibits consistent power–frequency correlation and a measurable inertia-like behaviour, enabling an approximate estimation of an effective virtual inertia constant. The results highlight both the feasibility and the practical limits of distribution-level verification: low disturbance magnitude, frequency-measurement noise, and controller deadbands can mask sub-second dynamics in the field. Implications are drawn for model validation, proving tests, standardisation of distributed stability services from inertia sources and their remuneration, production definition aspects.

Actions (login required)

View Item