Increased development of inverter-based resources (“IBRs”) connected to local distribution systems and the bulk power system has led to recent regulatory action at the state and federal level to adopt standards and protection requirements to ensure that these resources can safely interconnect and support the grid. At the federal level, on July 24, 2025, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) signed off on new reliability standards for IBRs—including wind, solar, and other renewable generators.
The new FERC rules require IBRs to stay online and keep supporting the grid during sudden swings in voltage or frequency—a feature known as “ride-through.” This is meant to prevent large amounts of renewable generation from dropping offline during disturbances, something that has caused problems in the past, according to FERC.
These standards were drafted by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) in response to Order No. 901 (2023), which instructed NERC to put in place a comprehensive set of IBR rules within three years. FERC’s final rule largely mirrors its December 2024 proposal and took effect on August 28, 2025—30 days after it was published in the Federal Register.
FERC Chairman Mark Christie described the action as “an important step toward ensuring that inverter-based resources support, rather than threaten, the reliability of the Bulk Power System.”
Why this matters: For renewable developers and operators, these rules create clearer performance requirements that must be factored into project design, financing, and interconnection planning. Meeting the new “ride-through” obligations will be essential to keep projects on track and in compliance. Action at the federal level may also inform considerations for state regulators regarding distribution level interconnection standards for IBRs.
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