System Operator Priorities

ISON published the first System Operator Priorities report and the associated appendix in 2025 to present the aligned goals and development opportunities for AEMO, CAISO, EirGrid, ERCOT, Energinet, and NESO in accelerating the transition to 100% renewable operation. The reports are updated annually to reflect emerging challenges in the energy transitions.

System Operator Priorities include:

1. Inverter performance:
   Identify the optimal design characteristics needed to maximise the potential of inverter-based resources (IBR) to support secure and reliable power system operation in power systems with up to 100% instantaneous operation of IBR.
2. Modelling tools:
   Define offline and online power system modelling capabilities needed by system operators to evaluate stability and meet relevant technical standards for power systems with areas of the power system dominated by IBR and characterised by low system strength.
3. Control room of the future:
   Define the suite of control room tools needed to operate a power system with very high levels of variable renewable energy (VRE) and IBR across transmission and distribution networks.
4. Planning:
   Define metrics, methods and tools needed for long-term planning, resource adequacy and assessment of resilience for a power system with a VRE instantaneous penetration of up to 100%.
5. System restoration:
   Explore how system restart standards and procedures should evolve as power systems move from large, centralised synchronous generators to dispersed VRE and, ultimately 100% IBR penetrations.
6. System services:
   Define and quantify services required by a system with 0% synchronous, constant fuel generators, considering how they can be procured and dispatched over a range of timeframes to effectively operate gigawatt-scale power systems with very high levels of VRE and IBR.

Previous Priorities Reports

• System Operator Priorities report 2025
• System Operator Priorities report appendix 2025