Operation Of Electric Grid Research Articles

Droughts in Wind and Solar Power: Assessing Climate Model Simulations for a Net‐Zero Energy Future

AbstractUnderstanding and predicting “droughts” in wind and solar power availability can help the electric grid operator planning and operation toward deep renewable penetration. We assess climate models' ability to simulate these droughts at different horizontal resolutions, ∼100 and ∼25 km, over Western North America and Texas. We find that these power droughts are associated with the high/low pressure systems. The simulated wind and solar power variabilities and their corresponding droughts during historical periods are more sensitive to the model bias than to the model resolution. Future climate simulations reveal varied future change of these droughts across different regions. Although model resolution does not affect the simulation of historical droughts, it does impact the simulated future changes. This suggests that regional response to future warming can vary considerably in high‐ and low‐resolution models. These insights have important implications for adapting power system planning and operations to the changing climate.

Quantitative analysis of high-frequency radiometric databases. Application to the case of Seville

The short-term variability of solar resource is one of the main challenges faced by the large-scale implementation of photovoltaic (PV) systems today; this will increase as the installed power of solar PV increases. To evaluate its influence on electrical grid operation, it is essential to analyse the variability of solar resource based on high-frequency data, 30 s and shorter. In this study, the high-frequency measurements of Global Horizontal Irradiation (GHI) and Direct Normal Irradiation (DNI) recorded every 5 s at the radiometric station of the University of Seville for 20 years are analysed and characterised. For this purpose, a corrected database for GHI and DNI was obtained from the application of a correction methodology. To understand the reliability of this database it is required to know its uncertainty. This work proposes a methodology to quantify the uncertainty of high-frequency radiometric databases whose wrong data have been corrected. Applying it, the daily uncertainty is 2.69% for GHI and 4.07% for DNI. To characterize the distribution of the database, the distribution of high frequency kt and kb indices are modelled providing the fitting parameters. To characterize the variability of high-frequency measurements, transition matrices are proposed, which allow identifying both the magnitude and frequency of jumps. The results obtained show that jumps of up to 800 W/m2 occur in both GHI and DNI. In the case of GHI, the percentage of jumps equal to or greater than 500 W/m2 is 1.36%, about 43,000 jumps in a year in measurements every 5 s.

Assessment of Electric Grid Transmission System Simulator for Human Factors Research

Over the past decades, various technologies have been developed for electric grid operations to support clean energy, meet rising electricity demands, and address infrastructure concerns. However, the human factors aspect is often overlooked during rapid integration. Questions persist about how these technologies impact human performance. Simulators play a critical role in supporting investigation of human factors design concepts and conducting comprehensive usability testing to evaluate human performance and assess human reliability. This paper aims to address human factors research simulator requirements and conduct a comparative study of six different simulators. A detailed evaluation reveals that the evaluated simulators lack the ability to customize user interfaces. Additionally, their user interface designs do not fulfill the basic human factors design principles, potentially leading to increased response variability and reduced statistical power when conducting controlled experimental research. In the future, it is essential to develop scripting tools to integrate customizable user interfaces and simulation models, ensuring meeting research requirements.

Modelling and operation of electrical grids considering techno-economic multi objective functions

Analysing the functionality of electrical systems allows for an evaluation of the characteristics of different power sources over varying periods and enables the coordination of multiple units. This is crucial for assessing the effects of uncertainty on the system considering load and energy generation for the effectiveness of power system monitoring and smart scheduling and cost-effectiveness of electrical grid operation. This research introduces an approach for simulating the operation of an electrical grids considering different time scales based economic and technical indices. First, a series of standard source load scenarios is established. Subsequently, multiple scenarios are produced to show the stochastic nature of renewable energy and demand and utilizing the probability features of uncertain data. The system described in this paper shifts the power balance issue from a yearly scale to weekly and daily electricity balances based on different time scales. The performance of the stochastic simulation solution is significantly enhanced by effectively coordinating in different time periods. The total coal consumption, economic index, abandoned renewable energy, and the rate of abandoned renewable energy are all closely monitored to maintain a high level of accuracy in reflecting the system's performance.

Revolution in Renewables: Integration of Green Hydrogen for a Sustainable Future

In recent years, global efforts towards a future with sustainable energy have intensified the development of renewable energy sources (RESs) such as offshore wind, solar photovoltaics (PVs), hydro, and geothermal. Concurrently, green hydrogen, produced via water electrolysis using these RESs, has been recognized as a promising solution to decarbonizing traditionally hard-to-abate sectors. Furthermore, hydrogen storage provides a long-duration energy storage approach to managing the intermittency of RESs, which ensures a reliable and stable electricity supply and supports electric grid operations with ancillary services like frequency and voltage regulation. Despite significant progress, the hydrogen economy remains nascent, with ongoing developments and persistent uncertainties in economic, technological, and regulatory aspects. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the green hydrogen value chain, encompassing production, transportation logistics, storage methodologies, and end-use applications, while identifying key research gaps. Particular emphasis is placed on the integration of green hydrogen into both grid-connected and islanded systems, with a focus on operational strategies to enhance grid resilience and efficiency over both the long and short terms. Moreover, this paper draws on global case studies from pioneering green hydrogen projects to inform strategies that can accelerate the adoption and large-scale deployment of green hydrogen technologies across diverse sectors and geographies.

Reliability analysis of open-pit power supply system components

In the field of designing power supply systems of open pits an important role is attributed to the problems of components reliability analysis, which can be solved by integrated application of different analysis methods for individual types of electrical equipment and network devices in power supply systems. The purpose of the work is to establish optimal parameters for an open-pit mine power supply at mining and processing complexes, and to conduct research that allows a technical and economic model of the system to be created. It has been established that mathematical statistics provides a number of methods for establishing the homogeneity (or heterogeneity) of the population of random variable values. When analyzing the data of failure statistics of electrical equipment, the method of comparative estimate of two sample averages (compared to the method of comparing the empirical distribution with the normal distribution or the moving average method) is the most acceptable. The paper presents accident rates of electrical equipment of open-pit substations and network devices of the quarry processed on the basis of data, also presents the relationship between the reliability of the circuit and its elements and shows the influence of protection reliability on the reliability of the circuit. Methods of optimizing open-pit power supply systems are presented, which consist in the use of first-order gradient methods, second-order methods or the so-called quadratic optimization methods, and random search methods. A group of gradient methods is the most widespread for solving nonlinear programming problems, among which the method of steepest descent should be considered primarily. The combination of random search with the penalty function method makes it possible to determine conditional extrema for the problem of optimizing the electrical grid and system operation mode. The method of random descent, which consists in determining the minimum of the target function according to an appropriate algorithm, is also considered, in which the direction of motion is generally given by a random vector uniformly distributed over a hyposphere.

Optimum management of microgrid generation containing distributed generation sources and energy storage devices by considering uncertainties

In recent years, the financial and energy crises have made the economical and safe operation of distribution microgrids one of the main challenges for operators. In this regard, the optimal distribution of the microgrid, considering the favorable indicators of Generation and consumption, significantly improves the quality of the development and economic operation of electricity grids. On the other hand, distribution microgrids have many problems and complications due to the presence of DG sources and the uncertainties caused by them in Generation and consumption, such as the inability to solve optimal load distribution using common and common calculation methods. Therefore, grid technical indicators such as voltage deviation and losses in solving load distribution add to the complexity of related issues. To solve the challenges raised in the distribution microgrid, this paper proposes an optimal load distribution model that models the uncertainties in the distribution microgrids using the Monte Carlo method. Using meta-heuristic algorithms, the optimal Generation function by modeling grid security constraints such as voltage deviation, losses, and a load limit of the system should be in economic operation mode, and then the power distribution equations should be solved. The battery can supply 1 kW of active power to the system at a cost of 1 unit/kW during the high cost period if it absorbs 1 kW of active power at a cost of 0.92 units/kW during the low cost period. Additionally, the active and reactive power losses have been decreased to 0.3kW and 0.2kW, respectively, by utilizing the suggested methodology. The simulation results show that the proposed method performs satisfactorily and that the modeling is simulated in MATLAB software.

Line to Ground Fault Detector in 400 KV Transmission Line by Using Intelligent System

The ability to locate and identify problems in power transmission lines is the most crucial component of power system engineering since it ensures the stable and efficient operation of electrical grids. to minimize downtime, prevent cascading failures, and maintain the power system's stability. problem localization helps identify the precise location of the problem and speeds up the process of restoring the power supply while minimizing the impact on consumers. This paper presents a measurement-based automatic fault localization and detection (ANFIS) technique for transmission lines. High-speed processing of real-time error localization and detection is made possible by the design and implementation of ANFIS. It is suggested that ANFIS for digital distance protection systems be able to discover issues in addition to detecting them. When a transmission experiences a three-phase malfunction Thus, the suggested method can precisely pinpoint the impacted stages. ANFIS has been trained and tested using many kinds of field data. The field data are collected by simulating faults in the Simulink Matlab model depicting the transmission line at various sites between Misan – Kut station 400 Kv along 200 Km using computer software based on Matlab. Phase current and voltage measurements are utilized as ANFIS inputs and are available at the busses. Regarding the kind and detection of defects, The output will demonstrate fault and location identification with an extremely low error percentage through simulated processes; the results also demonstrate that the approach's selectivity and speed are quite dependable and provide adequate performance for applications involving transmission and distribution monitoring; and security. The study emphasizes the criticality of promptly and precisely locating faults in power transmission lines to preserve the stability and security of the power system.

Fuzzy logic-based estimation model of distribution transformers aging

Currently, we are moving towards more ecological modes of transport. As a result, the demand for electric vehicles is growing exponentially, and new loads, related to charging, can negatively affect the operation of electrical grids and their elements. Concurrent and uncontrolled charging of electric vehicles can cause a blackout. Considering the stochastic nature of the additional load from electric cars, it is difficult to predict such a load by analytical methods. The fuzzy logic approach can be used to formalize the tasks with ambiguity. In this paper, a fuzzy-based block diagram of the algorithm was developed in the MATLAB-Simulink environment for evaluating the impact of the charging load of electric vehicles on the aging of transformers, as well as a model was built and the effect of various penetrations of electric cars was evaluated. The fuzzy logic-based model includes the effects of ambient temperature, power quality, and overloads. It contains a diagnostic part that warns the dispatcher of the power distribution network about possible problems, providing up-to-date information about the state of the transformer. In addition, the efficiency of photovoltaic generators to increase the service life of distribution transformers was analyzed. The results show that photovoltaic power plants are not effective enough for high levels of electric vehicle penetration, and more advanced strategies should be used.

Model predictive direct torque algorithm for coordinated electrical grid operation of wind energy conversion system-based doubly fed induction generator

ABSTRACT In this paper, robust predictive control (RPC) based on direct torque control space vector modulation (DTC-SVM) of the doubly fed induction generator wind turbine system (DFIG-WTS) is investigated to improve energy capture effectiveness. A novel cost function is introduced for the predictive speed regulator where the aerodynamic torque is considered as an unknown perturbation. This technique is designed to improve dynamic performance such as reference tracking, disturbance rejection, and robustness to parameter variations. The use of the DTC-SVM technique enhances performance in terms of constant switching frequency and reduced torque-flux ripples. The simulation results using real-time MATLAB/Simulink demonstrate the feasibility and validity of the proposed strategy, where very satisfactory performance has been achieved.

Accurate Surge Arrester Modeling for Optimal Risk-Aware Lightning Protection Utilizing a Hybrid Monte Carlo–Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm

The application of arresters is critical for the safe operation of electric grids against lightning. Arresters limit the consequences of lightning-induced over-voltages. However, surge arrester protection in electric grids is challenging due to the intrinsic complexities of distribution grids, including overhead lines and power components such as transformers. In this paper, an optimal arrester placement technique is developed by proposing a multi-objective function that includes technical, safety and risk, and economic indices. However, an effective placement model demands a comprehensive and accurate modeling of an electric grid’s components. In this light, appropriate models of a grid’s components including an arrester, the earth, an oil-immersed transformer, overhead lines, and lightning-induced voltage are developed. To achieve accurate models, high-frequency transient mathematical models are developed for the grid’s components. Notably, to have an accurate model of the arrester, which critically impacts the performance of the arrester placement technique, a new arrester model is developed and evaluated based on real technical data from manufacturers such as Pars, Tridelta, and Siemens. Then, the proposed model is compared with the IEEE, Fernandez, and Pinceti models. The arrester model is incorporated in an optimization problem considering the performance of the over-voltage protection and the risk, technical, and economic indices, and it is solved using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) and Monte Carlo (MC) techniques. To validate the proposed arrester model and the placement technique, real data from the Chopoghloo feeder in Bahar, Hamedan, Iran, are simulated. The feeder is expanded over three different geographical areas, including rural, agricultural plain, and mountainous areas.

Optimal power dispatch in hybrid power system for medium- and large-scale practical power systems using self-adaptive bonobo optimizer algorithm

Incorporating renewable energy sources (RESs) introduces a notable amount of uncertainty in the optimal planning and operation of electrical power grids. Under these circumstances, this paper proposes the application of a recently introduced metaheuristic optimization technique to solve the stochastic optimal power flow (OPF) problem involving wind and solar power sources. The self-adaptive bonobo optimizer (SaBO) is used to minimize three distinct objective functions: (i) Total generation cost (TGC) minimization, including both thermal and wind/solar generation costs, (ii) Power loss minimization, (iii) Combined generation cost and emissions effect minimization. The costs associated with the stochastic generation of wind and solar power included direct costs, reserves and penalty costs from the overestimation and underestimation of available wind and solar power, respectively. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated on two power systems: the modified IEEE 30-bus and the Algerian DZA 114-bus test systems. To demonstrate the efficacy of the SaBO, the obtained results have been compared with those obtained from the Kepler optimization algorithm (KOA) and other recently published optimizers under the same case studies and constraints. The comparative results clearly show the superiority of the SaBO algorithm over all other well-known optimization algorithms provided in the literature for solving the OPF problem. This is evidenced by minimizing total generation costs of 781.2363 $/h for the modified IEEE 30-bus and 16,706.1630 $/h for the Algerian DZA-114-bus system. Furthermore, the integration of RES led to a notable 2.33% and 11.67% reduction in total generation cost for the IEEE 30-bus and Algerian DZA 114-bus systems, respectively, compared to their initial configurations without RESs. The promising findings highlight the powerful of the optimizer to solve non-linear and complex optimization problems in power systems.

Energy optimization of the smart residential electrical grid considering demand management approaches

-Many researchers have investigated the optimal energy scheduling to meet the demand regarding sustainable development issues and the economic and technical indices. This study presents the day-ahead operation of a smart residential distribution electrical grid as a bi-stage-multiple-criteria decision-making modeling. The proposed energy optimization is implemented based on optimal demand management in upper-stage and multiple-criteria decision-making in lower-stage. The multiple-criteria problem is modeled from the viewpoint of the grid's operator to optimize energy consumption costs, power losses and demand side comfort. The optimal demand management in upper-stage is coordinated considering price traffic in the upstream grid. The load shifting approach and load interruption approach are presented as optimal demand management for residential consumers. The operation of demand management by using load shifting and load interruption approaches is done via deferrable loads and clippable loads in smart residential homes, respectively. The proposed energy optimization in both stages by improved sunflower optimization (IFSO) is handled, and the TOPSIS method is proposed for the best trade-off of the multiple-criteria decision-making. The day-ahead energy operation is applied on the 33-bus distribution network to investigate the effectiveness of the residential distribution electrical grid considering obtained results from mathematical modeling and demand management approaches.

Optimal Planning of Battery Swapping Stations Incorporating Dynamic Network Reconfiguration Considering Technical Aspects of the Power Grid

In order to drive electric vehicle adoption and bolster grid stability, the incorporation of battery swapping stations (BSSs) into the power grid is imperative. Conversely, network reconfiguration plays a crucial role in optimizing energy exchange within the power network, ensuring its economical and safe operation. Therefore, this study proposes an optimal planning method for battery swapping stations that integrates dynamic power distribution network reconfiguration while addressing technical aspects of the grid. The proposed method aims to concurrently optimize the placement and capacity of battery swapping stations, along with power distribution network reconfiguration, to enhance grid reliability and efficiency. The optimization model accounts for various factors including power quality, technical considerations, grid limitations, and operational expenses. A multi-objective optimization framework is devised to simultaneously reduce system losses, improve voltage stability, and mitigate environmental impacts of the power distribution network incorporating DG units. Case studies are conducted to illustrate the efficacy of the proposed approach in enhancing overall grid performance while accommodating the integration of battery swapping stations. The findings underscore the significance of considering technical factors and grid reconfiguration in battery swapping station planning to achieve optimal system operation and maximize benefits for electric vehicle users and grid operators alike.

Evolution and role of virtual power plants: Market strategy with integration of renewable based microgrids

The use of distributed energy resources (DER) programs, which include separate renewable energy (RE) programs, has expanded in residential as well as commercial structures as an outcome of recent technological developments. The virtual power plant (VPP) may improve the security and reliability of an electricity grid's operations through including energy storage, changeable loads, and distributed energy resources (DER), among other characteristics. Consequently, a growing number of scholars tend to focus on VPP and providing recommendations for its improvement. In order to facilitate the incorporation of distributed generation into electricity distribution systems, cutting-edge management ideas for facilities have emerged in the last few years. As a result, it is now more crucial than ever to improve management abilities for the combining of dispersed energy output and consumption using various virtual power plants (VPPs). To increase operational profits, it's crucial to make use of their capacity to play a role in power markets. This work provides a classification scheme for, and an in-depth analysis of, recent studies that provide VPP models featuring interactions with various forms of electricity markets. The objective of this article is to find out which VPP strategy will yield the greatest possible return in each legislative scenario. These consist of the model's design, strategies for resolving complex mathematical problems, involvement in various marketplaces, and the application of the suggested models to real-world case studies. The research has been evaluated, and it has been concluded that contemporary models are more comprehensive and realistic. This article additionally elaborates on and emphasizes the VPP concept from other researchers' findings. Moreover, a number of prevalent VPP projects from throughout the globe are included. The VPP research also addresses some potential challenges and recommendations for prospective growth.

Consumer Centric Flexible Demand Management

Traditional demand response is a proven and effective tool to address peak energy demand. In this model, consumers respond to a call for action by the electric grid operator. It is an effective—but blunt—instrument and one that will continue to play an important role in responding to times when the grid is stressed.

Enhanced Forecasting Accuracy of a Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Power Plant: A Novel Approach Using Hybrid Variational Mode Decomposition and a CNN-LSTM Model

Renewable energies have become pivotal in the global energy landscape. Their adoption is crucial for phasing out fossil fuels and promoting environmentally friendly energy solutions. In recent years, the energy management system (EMS) concept has emerged to manage the power grid. EMS optimizes electric grid operations through advanced metering, automation, and communication technologies. A critical component of EMS is power forecasting, which facilitates precise energy grid scheduling. This research paper introduces a deep learning hybrid model employing convolutional neural network–long short-term memory (CNN-LSTM) for short-term photovoltaic (PV) solar energy forecasting. The proposed method integrates the variational mode decomposition (VMD) algorithm with the CNN-LSTM model to predict PV power output from a solar farm in Boussada, Algeria, spanning 1 January 2019, to 31 December 2020. The performance of the developed model is benchmarked against other deep learning models across various time horizons (15, 30, and 60 min): variational mode decomposition–convolutional neural network (VMD-CNN), variational mode decomposition–long short-term memory (VMD-LSTM), and convolutional neural network–long short-term memory (CNN-LSTM), which provide a comprehensive evaluation. Our findings demonstrate that the developed model outperforms other methods, offering promising results in solar power forecasting. This research contributes to the primary goal of enhancing EMS by providing accurate solar energy forecasts.

Evaluation and Bias Correction of the ERA5 Reanalysis over the United States for Wind and Solar Energy Applications

The applicability of the ERA5 reanalysis for estimating wind and solar energy generation over the contiguous United States is evaluated using wind speed and irradiance variables from multiple observational data sets. After converting ERA5 and observed meteorological variables into wind power and solar power, comparisons demonstrate that significant errors in the ERA5 reanalysis exist that limit its direct applicability for a wind and solar energy analysis. Overall, ERA5-derived solar power is biased high, while ERA5-derived wind power is biased low. During winter, the ERA5-derived solar power is biased high by 23% on average, while on an annual basis, the ERA5-derived wind power is biased low by 20%. ERA5-derived solar power errors are found to have consistent characteristics across the contiguous United States. Errors for the shortest duration and most extreme solar negative anomaly events are relatively small in the ERA5 when completely overcast conditions occur in both the ERA5 and observations. However, longer-duration anomaly events on weekly to monthly timescales, which include partially cloudy days or a mix of cloudy and sunny days, have significant ERA5 errors. At 10 days duration, the ERA5-derived average solar power produced during the largest negative anomaly events is 62% greater than observed. The ERA5 wind speed and derived wind power negative biases are largely consistent across the central and northwestern U.S., and offshore, while the northeastern U.S. has an overall small net bias. For the ERA5-derived most extreme negative anomaly wind power events, at some sites at 10 days duration, the ERA5-derived wind power produced can be less than half of that observed. Corrections to ERA5 are derived using a quantile–quantile method for solar power and linear regression of wind speed for wind power. These methods are shown to avoid potential over-inflation of the reanalysis variability resulting from differences between point measurements and the temporally and spatially smoother reanalysis values. The corrections greatly reduce the ERA5 errors, including those for extreme events associated with wind and solar energy droughts, which will be most challenging for electric grid operation.

Optimal Operation of Residential Battery Energy Storage Systems under COVID-19 Load Changes

Over the past few years as COVID-19 was declared a worldwide pandemic that resulted in load changes and an increase in residential loads, utilities have faced increasing challenges in maintaining load balance. Because out-of-home activities were limited, daily residential electricity consumption increased by about 12–30% with variable peak hours. In addition, battery energy storage systems (BESSs) became more affordable, and thus higher storage system adoption rates were witnessed. This variation created uncertainties for electric grid operators. The objective of this research is to study the optimal operation of residential battery storage systems to maximize utility benefits. This is accomplished by formulating an objective function to minimize distribution and generation losses, generation fuel prices, market fuel prices, generation at peak time, and battery operation cost and to maximize battery capacity. A mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) method has been developed and implemented for these purposes. A residential utility circuit has been selected for a case study. The circuit includes 315 buses and 100 battery energy storage systems without the connection of other distributed energy resources (DERs), e.g., photovoltaic and wind. Assuming that the batteries are charging overnight, the results show that energy costs can be reduced by 10% and losses can decrease by 17% by optimally operating batteries to support increased load demand.

Reinforcement-Learning-Based Proactive Control for Enabling Power Grid Resilience to Wildfire

Industrial electric power grid operation subject to an extreme event requires decision-making by human operators under stressful conditions. Decision making using system data informatics under adverse dynamic events, especially if forecasted, should be supplemented by intelligent proactive control. Power transmission system operation during wildfires requires resiliency-driven proactive control for load shedding, line switching, and resource allocation considering the dynamics of the wildfire and failure propagation to minimize the impact on the system. However, the possible number of line and load switching in an extensive industrial system during an event make traditional prediction-driven and stochastic approaches computationally intractable, leading operators to often use pre-planned or greedy algorithms. In this work, we model and solve the proactive control problem as a Markov decision process and introduce an integrated testbed for spatio-temporal wildfire propagation and proactive power-system operation. Our approach allows the controller to provide setpoints for all generation fleets in the power grid. We evaluate our approach utilizing the IEEE test system mapped onto a hypothetical terrain. Our results show that the proposed approach can help the operator to reduce load outage during an extreme event. It reduces power flow through lines that are to be de-energized, and adjusts the load demand by increasing power flow through other lines.