This is a question I asked the DER Group on LinkedIn.
I read an article in the IEEE Power & Energy magazine (publication of the Power and Energy Society) about IBR based resources. It talked about the issue with electronic grid forming sources lacking the inertia that comes with rotating machinery, i.e., generators.
In a different issue of Power & Energy (or maybe IEEE Spectrum)there was an article about power distribution in New York City during the 1920s. As demand grew, electricity was generated remotely as AC current and fed to the city for distribution. Since at the time electricity was distributed as DC, the AC current needed to be converted. This was done using rotating machines (generators).
My question is: rather than electronically converting the resource to AC (IBR), would it be that much less efficient to take a page out of 1920s New York and use rotating machines? Thus getting back the lacked inertia. Now, I am assuming the IBRs are being fed from something like a BESS.
I do not have the magazines in front of me as I write this, so please forgive any inaccuracies if you happen to know the articles I am referencing. Also, I still have a lot to learn about the subjects of DER and distribution in general, so please take this. into consideration. A long time ago though, a good friend forced me to think about solutions that are not always the latest in technology. Also, the technology in generators is not what is was in 1920.
Thank you for your thoughts on the subject.