Keentel Engineering March 2026

Grid Reliability • Cyber Security • Standards Development • Global Energy Storage

March 2026 Edition

As we move through the first quarter of 2026, industry momentum continues to accelerate across reliability standards development, cyber security resilience, inverter-based resource (IBR) performance, and global energy storage expansion. This month’s update highlights major NERC initiatives, strategic reliability milestones, and key international energy storage events shaping the future of the bulk power system.

NERC recently released its 2023–2025 Three-Year Review video, featuring insights from President and CEO Jim Robb.The review highlights measurable progress in:



• Grid reliability and resilience enhancement
• Risk reduction initiatives
• Operational readiness improvements
• Stronger collaboration with industry stakeholders

The three-year strategic roadmap focused on addressing emerging risks while strengthening North America's bulk power system. NERC is now actively working on its 2026 goals and developing its next strategic plan for 2027–2029, reinforcing its commitment to long-term reliability and security.

NERC and E-ISAC Highlight Strategic Impact and Industry Readiness

2025 Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC) End-of-Year Report

NERC and E-ISAC Highlight Strategic Impact and Industry Readiness
(Power Grid Cyber Security and Industry Threat Monitoring)

The 2025 E-ISAC report reflects a year marked by rapidly evolving cyber and physical security threats.

Key highlights include:

• Support to more than 1,900 industry members and partners
• Delivery of timely and actionable cyber security intelligence
• Enhanced threat analysis and proactive defense coordination
• Strengthened collective preparedness across the bulk power system

Under new E-ISAC CEO Michael Ball, the organization continues to emphasize industry-wide collaboration as a cornerstone of grid security.

Reliability Insights: Complex Cyber Threats Require Brilliance at the Basics

(January 27, 2026)

NERC’s latest Reliability Insights publication underscores a critical message:

Advanced threats require disciplined execution of foundational cyber security practices.

While adversarial tactics grow more sophisticated, maintaining excellence in the basics remains essential:

• Access controls and identity management
• Patch management discipline
• Network segmentation
• Incident response readiness
• Configuration management and monitoring



The message is clear: Operational brilliance begins with foundational rigor.

March 2026 Standards & Committee Activity Overview

March reflects significant drafting and oversight activity across multiple critical standards projects. Notable focus areas include:

Events

IBR & Ride-Through Performance

• Project 2025-05 Ride-Through Revisions (Multiple sessions throughout March)
• Continued efforts to refine ride-through performance requirements for inverter-based resources.

Supply Chain & Cyber Risk

• Project 2025-06 Supply Chain Risk Management
• Project 2023-09 Risk Management for Third-Party Cloud Services
• Ongoing evaluation of third-party and supply chain vulnerabilities.

Operational & Modeling Standards

• Project 2025-03 Order No. 901 Operational Studies
• Project 2022-04 EMT Modeling
• Project 2017-01 BAL-003 Phase II Modifications

IBR Event Reporting

• Project 2023-01 EOP-004 IBR Event Reporting

Risk Assessment Refinement

• Project 2023-06 CIP-014 Risk Assessment Refinement

Committee & Subcommittee Meetings

• Event Analysis Subcommittee (EAS)
• Standards Committee Process Subcommittee (SCPS)
• Project Management and Oversight Subcommittee (PMOS)
• Standards Committee In-Person Meeting (Florida)
• RSTC Meetings and Informational Sessions
• NERC Probabilistic Analysis Forum (PAF) – Charlotte, NC

The volume and diversity of meetings in March reflect the industry’s continued emphasis on reliability, modeling accuracy, operational studies, and cyber risk management.

Global Energy Storage Market Highlights – 2026

Energy Storage Summit Australia

March 17, 2026 – Sydney

Australia’s energy storage sector is rapidly positioning itself as a global leader in renewable integration. Key themes include:

• Behind-the-meter storage expansion
• Distribution network capacity growth
• Net-zero transition urgency
• Financial structuring and project bankability
• Grid connection challenges



Energy Storage Summit at The Battery Show Europe

June 9, 2026 – Stuttgart, Germany

Focused on Germany’s utility-scale storage expansion, discussions will include:

• Policy and regulatory frameworks
• Merchant strategies and revenue stacking
• Grid tariff impacts
• Financing models
• Integration targets approaching 24 GW by 2037

Energy Storage Summit Germany

September 15, 2026 – Berlin

Battery Asset Management – UK & Ireland

October 13, 2026 – London

Focused on operational excellence for BESS portfolios:

• Degradation management
• Safety considerations
• Performance optimization
• Market design strategy



Battery Asset Management Europe

December 2, 2026 – Italy

Dedicated to asset owners, operators, and optimization specialists managing operational BESS fleets across Europe, with emphasis on:

• Revenue maximization
• Advanced optimization software
• Regulatory navigation
• Repowering and end-of-life planning



Looking Ahead

The industry in 2026 is defined by:

• Increased inverter-based resource penetration
• Expanding EMT modeling requirements
• Heightened cyber and supply chain risks
• Global acceleration of battery energy storage systems
• Stronger collaboration between regulators, operators, and technology providers

Reliability, resilience, and security remain the central pillars guiding regulatory evolution and infrastructure investment.

As standards mature and storage deployment expands globally, technical precision and disciplined compliance execution will remain critical to maintaining bulk power system stability.

For additional information on standards developments, modeling requirements, NERC compliance strategy, or energy storage integration support, please contact our team.

We appreciate your continued partnership and commitment to strengthening grid reliability.

About the Author:

Sonny Patel P.E. EC

IEEE Senior Member

In 1995, Sandip (Sonny) R. Patel earned his Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Illinois, specializing in Electrical Engineering . But degrees don’t build legacies—action does. For three decades, he’s been shaping the future of engineering, not just as a licensed Professional Engineer across multiple states (Florida, California, New York, West Virginia, and Minnesota), but as a doer. A builder. A leader. Not just an engineer. A Licensed Electrical Contractor in Florida with an Unlimited EC license. Not just an executive. The founder and CEO of KEENTEL LLC—where expertise meets execution. Three decades. Multiple states. Endless impact.

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About the Author:

Sonny Patel P.E. EC

IEEE Senior Member

In 1995, Sandip (Sonny) R. Patel earned his Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Illinois, specializing in Electrical Engineering . But degrees don’t build legacies—action does. For three decades, he’s been shaping the future of engineering, not just as a licensed Professional Engineer across multiple states (Florida, California, New York, West Virginia, and Minnesota), but as a doer. A builder. A leader. Not just an engineer. A Licensed Electrical Contractor in Florida with an Unlimited EC license. Not just an executive. The founder and CEO of KEENTEL LLC—where expertise meets execution. Three decades. Multiple states. Endless impact.