The Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions (CERTS) was formed in 1999 to research, develop, and disseminate new methods, tools, and technologies to protect and enhance the reliability of the U.S. electric power system and efficiency of competitive electricity markets.
CERTS is developing technology solutions that support competitive markets while protecting the public interest in reliable electricity service. CERTS' electricity reliability research covers five areas:
Real-Time Grid Reliability Management—developing and prototyping software tools that will ultimately enable the electricity grid to function as a smart, automatic, switchable network.
Reliability and Markets—performing science-based analysis and demonstrations of options for increasing the effectiveness of market-based approaches for managing reliability.
Distributed Energy Resources Integration—developing tools and techniques to maintain and enhance the reliability of electricity service through a cost-effective, decentralized electricity system based on high penetrations of distributed energy resources (DER)
Load as a Resource—performing analysis and demonstrations to enable meaningful participation of load in competitive electricity markets, including experimental economics analysis of the effect of price-responsive load in reducing market prices and price volatility.
Reliability Technology Issues and Needs Assessment—monitoring and identifying technology trends and emerging gaps in electricity system reliability research and development (R&D) to anticipate what R&D efforts are in the public interest to enable the grid of the future.
Contact the CERTS Program Office for more information.