Smart Grid and Renewable Energy, 2017, 8, 337-350 http://www.scirp.org/journal/sgre ISSN Online: 2151-4844 ISSN Print: 2151-481X DOI: 10.4236/sgre.2017.811022 Nov. 30, 2017 337 Smart Grid and Renewable Energy Smart Inverter Functionality Testing for Battery Energy Storage Systems Jun Hashimoto, Taha Selim Ustun, Kenji Otani Fukushima Renewable Energy Institute, AIST (FREA), Koriyama, Japan Abstract Variable distributed energy resources (DERs) such as photovoltaic (PV) sys- tems and wind power systems require additional power resources to control the balance between supply and demand. Battery energy storage systems (BESSs) are one such possible resource for providing grid stability. It has been proposed that decentralized BESSs could help support microgrids (MGs) with intelligent control when advanced functionalities are implemented with varia- ble DERs. One key challenge is developing and testing smart inverter controls for DERs. This paper presents a standardized method to test the interopera- bility and functionality of BESSs. First, a survey of grid-support standards prevalent in several countries was conducted. Then, the following four inte- roperability functions defined in IEC TR 61850-90-7 were tested: the specified active power from storage test (INV4), the var-priority Volt/VAR test (VV) and the specified power factor test (INV3) and frequency-watt control (FW). This study then outlines the remaining technical issues related to basic BESS smart inverter test protocols. Keywords Battery Energy Storage Systems, Distributed Energy Resources, Smart Inverter Controls, Grid-Support Standards, Test Protocols, Interoperability 1. Introduction Microgrids composed of distributed power from fluctuating renewable energy, such as photovoltaic (PV) system and wind power generation system, have raised concerns about the quality of the power that they produce owing to fac- tors such as frequency and voltage fluctuations. Therefore, grid support func- tions that help guarantee a reliable supply of distributed power are in demand How to cite this paper: Hashimoto, J., Ustun, T.S. and Otani, K. (2017) Smart Inverter Functionality Testing for Battery Energy Storage Systems. Smart Grid and Renewable Energy, 8, 337-350. https://doi.org/10.4236/sgre.2017.811022 Received: October 31, 2017 Accepted: November 27, 2017 Published: November 30, 2017 Copyright © 2017 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access