Ramp Rate Control

Ramp rate control limits how fast a plant’s active power may change, in megawatts or kilowatts per minute, so a cloud passing or a dispatch step does not shock the grid.

The limit comes from the interconnection agreement and applies in both directions. A power plant controller enforces it on the plant total at the point of interconnection, which for solar plus storage means the battery can absorb or supply the difference while the solar output moves. A storage EMS should also limit the rate of change of its own setpoints in software, separate from any limiter in the inverter hardware.

Also called: Ramp rate limiting, Rate of change limiter