University of South Carolina Researcher Develops New Methods to Improve Power Grid Stability
As renewable energy technologies become a larger part of the nation's electricity supply, researchers are developing new approaches to maintaining the stability and reliability of increasingly complex power systems. At the University of South Carolina, electrical engineering Assistant Professor Xin Fang is leading a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project to improve how electric grids operate as they incorporate more inverter-based energy resources, including wind and solar power.
The three-year research project, which began in August 2026, focuses on developing advanced optimization methods that could help grid operators maintain frequency stability while managing electricity generation costs. The work addresses a growing challenge in modern power systems: balancing the operational flexibility of renewable energy technologies with the need to maintain reliable electricity delivery.
Traditional power plants typically rely on large rotating generators that provide physical inertia, helping stabilize the electrical grid when unexpected disturbances occur. These disturbances can include sudden increases in electricity demand or the loss of a generating facility. Wind and solar installations, however, generally connect to the grid through power electronic inverters, which do not inherently provide the same stabilizing response.
Rather than relying on mechanical inertia, inverter-based resources use programmable control systems to determine how they respond to changes in grid conditions. Fang's research explores how these controls could be optimized to support system stability, allowing operators to adjust not only the amount of electricity generated but also how individual resources respond to disturbances.
Working with Yong Fu, Tennessee Valley Authority Endowed Professor at Mississippi State University, Fang is developing mathematical models and optimization algorithms that account for both power generation requirements and the dynamic behavior of inverter-based resources. The goal is to enable grid operators to make more informed decisions about resource scheduling while ensuring that the system can respond effectively to fluctuations in supply and demand.
A significant challenge involves the computational complexity of these decisions. Power grid operators must coordinate numerous interconnected resources under strict operational deadlines. Introducing adjustable inverter responses adds another layer of complexity to an already demanding optimization problem.
To address this issue, the researchers plan to develop algorithms that divide large optimization problems into smaller, more manageable components. This approach could make it possible to identify effective operating strategies within the limited time available for grid scheduling and control.
The research has important implications for cyber-physical systems, where computational decision-making and control algorithms directly influence the behavior of physical infrastructure. As electrical grids become more dependent on software-controlled energy resources, advances in modeling, optimization, and adaptive control will be essential for ensuring dependable operation across interconnected power networks.
Fang hopes the resulting methods will eventually support independent system operators responsible for coordinating electricity generation and transmission across large regions. His longer-term research interests also include applying artificial intelligence-based control and optimization techniques to improve the resilience and flexibility of future power systems.
By developing new ways to coordinate inverter-based resources, the project could help establish a foundation for power grids that are better equipped to accommodate changing energy technologies while maintaining the stability required by homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure.
Source: This article is based on information originally published by the University of South Carolina's Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing on October 6, 2026, in Keeping the Lights On: Building a Power Grid We Can Count On.
Read the original article: https://www.sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/engineering_and_computing/news_events/news/2026/xin_fang_inverter_based_resources_research.php