Homeostaticity of energy systems: How to engineer grid flexibility and why should electric utilities care

Aldo Barrueto,Sarat Kumar Sahoo,Dhruv Shah,Felisa M Cordova,Antonio Sanchez-Squella,Antonio Parejo,Fernando Yanine

doi:10.21533/pen.v7i1.424

Abstract

Today’s power generation and distribution industry is being faced with a number of issues, from violent weather phenomena to earthquakes, fires and landslides; including acts of arson, terrorism and vandalism, all of which pose serious concerns for the sustainability of the distribution and supply of electricity. Electric utilities like ENEL are cognizant of this fact and know they must take action. Moreover, they are required by law to be prepared and act proactively to prevent service disruption, by responding to such challenges rapidly and effectively so as to preserve stability and continuity of operation. Homeostaticity of energy systems seeks just that: to bring about a rapid, effective and efficient state of equilibrium between energy supply and expenditure at all times, whatever the circumstances, to preserve stability of systems operation. The paper presents a prescriptive energy homeostaticity model being considered by ENEL as a means to further the incorporation of renewables in the electricity generation and distribution industry. The aim is to enhance control and energy management systems in distributed generation installations tied to the grid for urban and rural communities, in order to complement and diversify their electric power distribution services. The theoretical groundwork underlying the subject as well as other relevant contextual factors are also discussed and simulation results are presented under different tariff scenarios, and energy storage alternatives, in order to compare the proposed model with the actual case. Energy storage (ES) is found to be of paramount importance in the overall analysis of the results as it enhances and reinforces thriftiness on energy consumption.

Highlights

In today’s world, electric utility services are facing a number of threats, from harsh, and unexpected weather events like torrential rains, winds or heavy snow in regions that did not normally have these happenings, as well as natural disasters like earthquakes and large fires, right along with unexpected malicious acts
In 2014 the US Senate passed a bill supporting grid-connected distributed energy systems like microgrids to confront the growing climate threats, so as to make electric power distribution more resilient and proactive towards the unexpected, harsh weather like storms and floods. This is in line with Smart Grid transformation and modernization in the US, Canada and Europe. Such initiatives being led by big players like ENEL, have spurred several pieces of legislation in North America and in South America, where changes in the electric law are being studied by industry stakeholders, legislators, and by several local and federal authorities to promote a range of technologies and policies that can make the grid more reliable, resilient and cyber-secure [Web-1, Web-2]
The results of the simulations show that the addition of energy storage capacity and its management through the energy homeostaticity model proposed here for a residential building in Santiago, Chile has a high impact in the energy cost, as well as in residents’ awareness of the importance of using green energy and exercising thriftiness and efficiency in electricity usage

Summary

Introduction

In today’s world, electric utility services are facing a number of threats, from harsh, and unexpected weather events like torrential rains, winds or heavy snow in regions that did not normally have these happenings, as well as natural disasters like earthquakes and large fires, right along with unexpected malicious acts. In 2014 the US Senate passed a bill supporting grid-connected distributed energy systems like microgrids to confront the growing climate threats, so as to make electric power distribution more resilient and proactive towards the unexpected, harsh weather like storms and floods This is in line with Smart Grid transformation and modernization in the US, Canada and Europe. Some power and water utilities are already taking action by adopting plans to counteract or fend-off such adverse conditions and circumstances, like those that prompt wild fires One of such utilities is ENEL Distribucion in Chile, which currently supports ongoing research on Smart Grid transformation to explore the potential incorporation of grid-tied microgrids in the already huge number of buildings in the city of Santiago.

How to incorporate energy homeostaticity in electric power systems?

Discussion

Conclusions