ENGN8527
Smart Grids 1

Paul Scott

Future Grid Challenges

  • Managing infrastructure costs
  • Integrating non-dispatchable generation
  • Integrating distributed generation
  • Electric vehicles

Electric insulators on top of a transformer (2) Pala eolica Mele 08 Rooftop Photovoltaic Array Tesla Roadster -- 02-11-2011

Retail Bill Breakdown

AER. State of the energy market 2014. Technical report, Australian Energy Regulator, 2014.

Retail Prices

AER. State of the energy market 2014. Technical report, Australian Energy Regulator, 2014.

Total Demand

AER. State of the energy market 2015. Technical report, Australian Energy Regulator, 2015.

Peak Demand Ratio

AER. State of the energy market 2015. Technical report, Australian Energy Regulator, 2015.

Generation Source

Type Capacity (%) Production (%)
Black Coal 39.2 50.8
Brown Coal 14.3 25.7
Gas 20.1 11.6
Hydro 16.5 6.6
Wind 6.6 4.8
Other 3.2 0.5

AER. Generation capacity and output by fuel source, October 2015. URL https://www.aer.gov.au/wholesale-markets/wholesale-statistics/generation-capacity-and-output-by-fuel-source. AER reference: D11/2285335[V2].

Distributed Generation

Australian PV Map

Electric Vehicles

Nissan Leaf battery is 24kWh

Home consumption around 16kWh per day

Smart Grid

An electricity network that uses advanced information and communications technologies to automate the production, delivery and consumption of electricity

Spectrum of Network "Intelligence"

Advantages

Helps to overcome future challenges plus...

  • Creates new markets for participants
  • Cheaper to operate and maintain
  • Improved reliability

Sensors - Smarts - Actuators

Technologies

Meters

Mechanical electricity meter 1965 (1)

Intelligenter zaehler- Smart meter


Electromechanical meters

  • Cumulative consumption

Smart meters

  • Interval readings
  • Peak consumption
  • Reactive power
  • Alternative pricing
  • Remote readings

Voltage/Current Transformers

SF6 current transformer TGFM-110 Russia

  • Measure AC voltage and current
  • Can be used to activate protective equipment

Cheap Sensing

WirelessPowerlineSensors2

  • Current
  • Temperatures
  • Sag

Technologies

Generators

Ashton Frost engine governor Rotating Armature Alternator

  • Governor set point for real power
  • Exciter DC voltage to adjust reactive power

Transformers

Electric insulators on top of a transformer (2) Leaking pole mounted transformer

  • Tap ratio to maintain voltage
  • On-load automatic or off-load manual tap changing
  • Phase shifting transformers to control flows

Switchgear

Hybrid switchgear 400kv

  • Breakers, reclosers, sectionalisers
  • Interrupt and isolate faults
  • Reconfigure network
  • Automatic, remote or locally activated

FACTS Devices

Nelson Bipole Thyristors Condensor bank 150kV - 75MVAR

  • Source/sink reactive power
  • Power electronics with capacitors/inductors
  • Mechanically switched capacitors

Inverters

Vermont Law School Solar Panel Array-4

  • Convert DC to AC for PV and batteries
  • Power factor control

Batteries/Electric Vehicles

Tesla Powerwall Nissan Leaf aan Amsterdamse laadpaal

  • Smooth out consumption and PV generation
  • Electric vechicles to increase loads

Technologies

Dispatch Engine

  • Decides how the wholesale market is cleared
  • Used alongside contingency simulation,
  • and FCAS markets

Dispatch Engine

Dispatch Engine

Distribution Management System

  • SCADA
  • State estimation
  • Load flow studies

Energy Management Systems

Nest Diamond Thermostat

  • Communicate with smart devices
  • Coordinates devices to reduce costs for house
  • Responds to price signals or requests from network

Communication

  • Power-line communication
  • Mobile phone network
  • Fibre optics (bundled with conductors)
  • Wireless (ZigBee and WiFi)

Dynamic Line Ratings

Can we push more power on our networks by safely operating closer to the network limits?

Motivation

  • Better utilisation of infrastructure
  • Reduce need to invest in upgrades

Description

  • High flows heat lines and which sag
  • Wind, ambient temp, radiation have large impact
  • Significant dynamics
  • Idea: Real-time line rating based on a combination of direct measurements and modelling

Characteristics

Yi Yang; Harley, R.G.; Divan, D.; Habetler, T.G., "Thermal modeling and real time overload capacity prediction of overhead power lines," Diagnostics for Electric Machines, Power Electronics and Drives, 2009. SDEMPED 2009. IEEE International Symposium on , vol., no., pp.1,7, Aug. 31 20096-Sept. 3 2009

Usage

  • Dynamic trip currents for circuit breakers
  • Dynamic warnings for DMS system
  • DMS to take preventative action

Self-Healing Grid

What if the grid could automatically reconfigure itself to isolate a fault and resupply power?

Motivation

Utilities pay the regulator huge fines for downtime, and blackouts have huge opportunity costs for those affected

Description

  • Power supply restoration is the central problem
  • Take corrective action in under a minute
  • Remotely operable switches make this possible
  • Crews still go out and physically fix equipment

Overview

Overview

Overview

Automation

We can turn this into an optimisation problem:

  • Maximise number of loads served
  • By switching lines and redispatching generation
  • Subject to network constraints

Demo

Demand-Side Management

Building flexibility into the demand-side of the network.

Demand Response

Allegheny Ludlum steel furnace

  • Special contracts with large loads
  • Network operator sends request to defer load