Presented by Stephen Cialdea, Sigma C Power Services, LLC

With the proliferation of inverter-based technology in the power grid, it is increasingly important to understand the nuances of commissioning these systems properly and how that fits in with NETA test standards. These projects often have multiple stakeholders with varying and/or conflicting interests when it comes to the completeness of the commissioning services on a project. As commissioning engineers, it is important to advise clients in a way that ensures testing and commissioning is completed to the proper standards while adhering to reasonable commercial demands. This paper outlines some best practices for the overall lifecycle of these projects, starting from interconnection support, design creation and/or review, procurement of properly rated equipment, construction, factory testing, utility coordination, isolation points, apparatus testing, communication systems, and documentation. Finally, we will cover some common mistakes and pitfalls that may come up for these types of projects.