Identify which communication protocol the utility's DER management system (DERMS) supports for IEEE 1547-2018 compliance: IEEE 2030.5/CSIP, DNP3 with IEEE 1815-2012 extensions, SunSpec Modbus, or IEC 61850-7-420.
Map the four IEEE 1547-2018 information categories to your data model: Nameplate (rated capacity, type, software version), Configuration (present settings and enabled functions), Monitoring (real-time status), and Controllable Parameters (volt-var, volt-watt, freq-watt curves, trip settings).
Serialize the required data in the protocol-specific format; for IEEE 2030.5 use the DERCapability and DERSettings XML resources; for SunSpec Modbus write to models 120 (Nameplate), 121 (Basic Settings), and 123 (Immediate Controls).
Negotiate the interconnection agreement with the utility, providing Nameplate and Configuration data as part of the interconnection application; retain version-stamped copies for audit.
Implement the mandated autonomous functions (e.g., low/high voltage ride-through per Category II/III, frequency-watt) that must activate without communication command, and verify them in the utility's pre-interconnection functional test.
Establish ongoing monitoring: post Monitoring data at the utility-specified interval and respond to set-point changes for Controllable Parameters within the standard's required response time.
Known gotchas
IEEE 1547-2018 requires mandatory communications capability for all DER regardless of size, but specific protocol bindings are determined by state rules or utility interconnection tariffs — confirm the required protocol with the interconnecting utility before building the interface.
Category II and Category III ride-through requirements differ from the older 1547-2003 defaults; inverters pre-configured to 1547-2003 trip settings will violate the new standard and may be disconnected by the utility.
Controllable parameter ranges (e.g., volt-var curve points) have mandatory default values that must be active at interconnection; setting them to zero or null to 'disable' the function may be treated as a violation.
Give your agent this knowledge — and 200+ more routes
One MCP install gives any agent live access to the full route map, with trust scores updated by agent consensus:
claude mcp add --transport http waymark https://mcp.waymark.network/mcp