Have Solar Plants in North America? Here’s How Power Factors Helps You Navigate the New 2024 NERC GADS Reporting Requirements for Solar Sites

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) is a not-for-profit regulatory authority responsible for ensuring the reliability and security of the bulk electric system (BES) in North America. 

One of the cornerstones of NERC’s efforts to ensure the reliability and stability of the power grid is the Generating Availability Data System (GADS), a tool for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating power plant performance data. The GADS database helps identify trends, mitigate risks to the BES, and drive improvements in power generation and distribution. 

In 2016, NERC rolled out GADS reporting requirements for wind power plants like the ones already in place for fossil fuels. NERC’s goal is to gather data on renewable power plant availability, performance, and outages as clean energy becomes an increasingly important part of the grid’s energy mix. 

NEW REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR SOLAR AND SOLAR-PLUS-STORAGE 

Starting in 2024, NERC is making GADS performance and event reporting mandatory for solar and solar-plus-storage sites with a total capacity of 100 MW or greater. In 2025, the reporting threshold will extend to sites with a capacity of 20 MW or more. 

STREAMLINING GADS REPORTING WITH DRIVE 

All of this sounds great — but ensuring compliance with NERC’s GADS reporting requirements can be a complex and time-consuming task. That’s why Power Factors automates it. 

Beginning in early 2024, our Drive asset performance management (APM) platform will automatically generate correctly formatted GADS performance reports for your solar and solar-plus-storage sites.  

And did you know that Drive already handles GADS reporting for wind? Along with the new GADS for solar release early next year, we also will be adapting our wind reporting to accommodate the new 2024 requirements.  

KEY BENEFITS OF USING DRIVE FOR GADS REPORTING: 

• Efficiency: Drive streamlines the data collection and reporting process, ensuring that the right data points are captured and that reports are generated accurately and on time. 
• Compliance Confidence: With Drive, you can be confident you’re meeting NERC’s GADS reporting requirements without errors or omissions, minimizing the risk of compliance issues. 
• Proactive Insights: GADS reports will provide valuable insights into your solar power plant’s performance, helping you identify potential issues and opportunities for improvement. 
• Resource Optimization: By automating GADS reporting with Drive, you can focus on the things that drive better plant and portfolio performance — instead of wasting valuable time wrangling data. 

SUMMARY 

As renewables continue to solidify their position in the global energy landscape, robust reporting mechanisms are essential. But they can also add a lot of work. With Drive, you can confidently navigate evolving regulatory environments knowing that all the necessary data checks and quality controls are taken care of. 

Want to Learn More? 

If you’re already a Drive customer, you can reach out to your Customer Success Manager (CSM) for more information on how Drive helps you with evolving NERC GADS reporting requirements.  

Not yet a Drive customer? Request a demo to learn more about how Drive simplifies GADs reporting.