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DOE OSTI2024

Autonomous Anomaly Detection for MPC Forecasts of HVAC Systems in Residential Communities

The use of residential heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) to shift peak demand or provide ancillary services is a potential solution in the presence of older grids and distributed renewables. However, to ensure the efficient use of devices, utilities need to accurately forecast the load and adopt error correction schemes when necessary. While significant theoretical research exists in the area of predictive control of HVAC, little experimental evidence exists. The lack of experimental data in turn causes researchers to be unprepared for unsystematic errors which emerge due to the higher complexity of the data generating process. This study offers an anomaly detection methodology that uses unsupervised machine learning algorithms to detect and isolate these errors with different forecast error ranges. The results of anomaly detection procedure can then be used for error correction and would eventually help develop better predictive controllers. The methodology is tested using real world data from a smart neighborhood that currently operates in Atlanta. GA.

Lebakula, Viswadeep↗

DOE OSTI2021

Market-based Co-optimization of Energy and Ancillary Services with Distributed Energy Resource Flexibilities

Energy storage systems and flexible loads have attracted significant interests due to their capabilities to provide various grid services. In this paper, the flexibilities are optimally allocated among multiple distributed energy resource aggregators with energy storage systems and flexible buildings by the utility coordinator through market-based co-optimization. An iterative market clearing algorithm is developed to determine the optimal energy and ancillary service prices, with consideration of both local dynamics and network constraints. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and the benefits of co-optimizing the energy and ancillary service markets.

Ma, Ke↗

DOE OSTI2022

Impact of Quaternary Pumped Storage Hydropower on Frequency Response of U.S. Western Interconnection with High Renewable Penetrations

As renewable penetration increases in the United States, maintaining stability and reliability of low-inertia power grid by providing sufficient frequency control capability becomes a challenge. Advanced pumped storage hydro technologies (APSH) will be expected to play an important role for future grid as not only an energy supplier, but also as an ancillary services provider. This paper studies the impact of using quaternary pumped storage hydropower (Q-PSH), as one of the newly proposed APSH technology, to provide primary frequency response. To quantify the impact of Q-PSH on frequency response of the U.S. Western Interconnection, a user-defined dynamic model of Q-PSH is developed on the GE Positive Sequence Load Flow (PSLF) platform and is implemented in a set of detailed U.S. Western Electricity Coordination Council (WECC) planning cases in which renewable penetration levels are 20%, 40%, 60% and 80%. Simulation results show that Q-PSH can help improve frequency nadir and settling frequency comparing to the conventional PSH.

frequency response↗

DOE OSTI2022

Impact of Quaternary-Pumped Storage Hydropower on Frequency Response of U.S. Western Interconnection with High Renewable Penetrations: Preprint

frequency response↗

DOE OSTI2022

Dynamically robust coordinated set point tracking of distributed DERs at point of common coupling

Low-inertia operation of small-scale power systems, such as a microgrid or a portion of a long feeder, requires careful coordination of the controller performance of the constituting devices. This challenge is exacerbated in microgrids serving the functionalities of a conventional synchronous-based generation unit while comprised of smaller DERs operating mainly interfaced through power electronics converters. This paper builds on the idea of set point modulation and proposes a two-level control strategy that aims to achieve superior performance at the point of common coupling (PCC) of microgrids by combining a local control level with a distributed and coordinated level. Several case studies on both AC and DC systems, the CIGRE low-voltage benchmark system as the AC system and a test DC microgrid, validate the performance of the proposed approach. The real-world applicability of the approach is established via a high-fidelity power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) experimental setup and an application case study on grid frequency regulation. The proposed approach enables a microgrid to participate in ancillary service provisions where speed and quality of regulation are critical.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2020

EMISApproximateEquilibrium.jl [SWR-19-56]

The Electricity Markets Investment Suite Approximate Equilibrium (EMIS-AE) package is developed at NREL and provides a solution capability to solve generation expansion equilibrium problems in the electricity markets. EMIS-AE is designed to capture the evolution of the electricity generation portfolio resulting from the interactions of heterogeneous investors under different policy and market designs. The investment problem for each generation company (GENCO) is a bi-level problem with the investment decision made in the upper level and market clearing condition in the lower level, which traditionally is represented as a Mathematical Program with Equilibrium Constraint (MPEC). EMIS-AE provides a predictive model to be trained for estimating the system-wide revenues for each technology type across energy, ancillary services and capacity markets given the amount of installed capacity on the grid. The profit maximization investment problem for each GENCO is solved using a global search algorithm, which uses the predictive model to evaluate the objective function. To solve for the strategic equilibrium, each GENCO’s problem is plugged into a diagonalization algorithm that is generally used in multi-leader, single-follower bi-level problems.

Dalvi, Sourabh↗

DOE OSTI2025

Hybrid Power Plants for Energy Resilience: A Case Study

As renewable energy technologies are increasingly adopted, they pose an opportunity to improve the sustainability and resilience of distributed grids, especially when their design and operation is coordinated as a hybrid power plant. When included in hybrid power plants, distributed wind turbines in particular have the potential to enhance the resilience of distributed grids in areas with good wind resource, due to their ability to provide more consistent generation and ancillary services as compared to photo-voltaic (PV) solar panels. Despite this benefit, U.S. distributed wind adoption is lower than other comparable renewable energy technologies. In this study, we seek to demonstrate how hybrid power plants that include distributed wind turbines can contribute to distribution grid resilience by meeting loads (especially critical loads) more consistently, increasing reserve capacity, and providing value to customers during outages. To demonstrate these contributions, we integrate three separate frameworks and apply them to a case study in a rural electric cooperative in Iowa. Through this case study, we simulate and compare hybrid power plant design and operation during two hazard events: a tornado that causes a 48-hour distribution outage and a winter weather event that causes a 6-hour generation outage. The inclusion of a hybrid power plant that leverages 1) increased battery duration and 2) advanced forecasting and dispatch strategies that reserve capacity leading up to a hazard event best reduce lost loads as well as diesel consumption that would otherwise be used to meet those loads during short- and long-duration hazard events. Depending on the hybrid power plant capacity and operation, we find that the outage mitigation value of a hybrid power plant (measured in value to customers to avoid an outage and avoided lost revenues for the utility) is significant in both hazard events; adding wind, solar, and battery assets to the existing system adds about $50-$100M in avoided lost load and at least $4-$8k in utility value in the tornado hazard event, and $570k-$2.2M in avoided lost load and at least $220-$650 in utility value in the winter hazard scenario. In both the tornado and winter hazard scenarios, optimizing the operation of the hybrid system for resilience can lend similar value as increasing battery duration by 5 MWh for the lower capacity systems considered.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Delivery-Risk-Aware Flexibility Scheduling and Dispatch for Aggregated Flexible Loads

Flexible loads like smart thermostats and water heaters can shift energy consumption and provide flexibility to the grid. However, this flexibility is dependent on occupant behavior and can lead to delivery risk, which causes utilities and grid operations to consider them as unreliable for purposes of grid operation. To date, they have not been well integrated into wholesale electricity markets or ancillary service offerings. With proper consideration of uncertainty and risk, these resources can be one of the most cost-effective sources of flexibility. This work uses stochastic optimization to quantify and bid flexibility from a fleet of flexible resources while considering their delivery risk.

DER↗

DOE OSTI2023

Valuation of Distributed Wind Turbines Providing Multiple Market Services

The role of wind turbines has traditionally been limited to providing energy capacity to the grid, but the availability of smart inverters and recent regulatory changes provide the technical and policy capability for wind turbines to also provide ancillary services. However, in contrast to the technical and policy aspects, the valuation of distributed wind turbines providing such services has not been thoroughly studied. This paper presents an optimal market-participation method for distributed wind turbines and valuates different strategies in California Independent System Operator’s balancing area. The services include energy capacity, regulation up and down, and reserves. An optimization problem is formulated to determine optimal power output for each service and demonstrated using historical data for one complete year. The revenues from multiple services are quantified, and a sensitivity analysis is performed to relate market prices with revenues. It is found that the optimal strategy generates 6% more revenue compared to the revenue from participating in the energy market only. Also, the reduced energy prices in future scenarios increase the relative importance of market participation in ancillary services.

Bhatti, Bilal Ahmad↗

DOE OSTI2021

Evidence of Completion of Milestone 4: Simulation Testbed Validated with Experimental Data

Milestone 4 is given in the SOPO as being due in quarter 5 (ending 9/11/2020) and is described thus: Milestone 4: Enhanced Simulation Testbed Validated with Experimental Data (UM, Mathieu). Simulation testbed validated with data obtained from experimental testbed, specifically, nonlinear load behaviors and communication network issues observed in the experimental testbed will be modeled in the simulation testbed. The simulation testbed should accurately capture TCL real and reactive power consumption (including during extreme events associated with nonlinear behaviors and communication network failures) to within 5% RMSE error with respect to data obtained from the experimental testbed. The Tasks comprising the work to achieve Milestone 4 are outlined here.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2023

An Assessment of Deploying Advanced Pumped Storage Hydropower Technology in U.S. Electricity Markets

Pumped storage hydropower (PSH) is a type of hydropower technology where energy can be stored and generated by moving water between two reservoirs of differing elevations. In addition to providing 97% of the total utility-scale hydropower storage in the United States, PSH plants have operational characteristics - such as high ramp rates and the ability to provide reserves - that contribute to greater flexibility and reliability of the power grid. New PSH technologies can provide additional flexibility beyond existing, fixed-speed units. With the emergence of high levels of variable renewable energy resources (e.g., wind and solar), energy storage is expected to be crucial to the reliability and reliance of the power grid in a low-carbon future. At diurnal and longer durations, PSH plants have some of the lowest costs per unit of energy, have been proven to be reliable and efficient, are not cycle-limited, and typically have long lives, often exceeding 50 years. The work presented here focuses on a new generation of PSH: ternary PSH and quaternary PSH (together referred to as T/Q-PSH). Given recent experience in Europe, grid operators in the United States and elsewhere are increasingly focusing their attention on T/Q-PSH as a proven, financeable technology that can offer utility-scale, long-duration, fast-acting energy storage capabilities and grid services. T/Q-PSH differs from conventional PSH in that it can provide fast-response ancillary services during both generating and pumping operations. This capability together with fast mode switching times are key attributes that make T/Q-PSH technologies attractive for managing and stabilizing electricity systems with high amounts of variable renewable energy.

ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY,HYDRO ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

Evidence of Completion of Milestone 3: Experimental Testbed

Construction and deployment of the experimental testbed encountered scheduling delays, and completion was subsequently further delayed by curtailment of LANL operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Between March and October, LANL was in a state of “Limited Operations” such that only certain “mission-critical” work was performed with approximately 25% on-site staffing. In spite of this, much of the lab space preparation was executed and the five initial model house” units were constructed and installed during this period. Still, the pace of construction was impacted by difficulty in coordinating personnel and minimizing contact between workers. Currently, LANL is in the mode of “Normal Operations with Maximum Telework,” which continues to limit the availability of on-site personnel. Nevertheless, Milestone 3 is now complete. This document describes the experiment as it is deployed and provides status for each task for this milestone.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Evidence of Completion of Milestone 4: Simulation Testbed Validated with Experimental Data

Milestone 4 is given in the SOPO as being due in quarter 5 (ending 9/11/2020) and is described thus: Milestone 4: Enhanced Simulation Testbed Validated with Experimental Data (UM, Mathieu) Simulation testbed validated with data obtained from experimental testbed, specifically, nonlinear load behaviors and communication network issues observed in the experimental testbed will be modeled in the simulation testbed. The simulation testbed should accurately capture TCL real and reactive power consumption (including during extreme events associated with nonlinear behaviors and communication network failures) to within 5% RMSE error with respect to data obtained from the experimental testbed.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Techno-Economic Evaluation of a 600MW Pumped Storage Hydropower Plant using the Pumped Storage Hydropower Valuation Tool

This paper presents a techno-economic evaluation of the proposed 600 MW, 8-hour Craig – Hayden pumped storage hydropower project using the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pumped Storage Hydropower Valuation Tool. The analysis integrates plant technical characteristics, regional grid conditions, and market-based operating assumptions to quantify stacked value streams from energy arbitrage, capacity, ancillary services, transmission congestion relief, and reliability. Both price taker and price influencer frameworks are applied to examine the impact of market participation and system interactions on lifecycle economic performance using Benefit - Cost Analysis and Multi - Criteria Decision Analysis. The results show that the price taker approach provides higher revenue estimates based on exogenous price signals, while the price influencer approach captures production cost savings, renewable curtailment reduction, and market price formation, yielding more conservative but system-representative outcomes. The study demonstrates the strategic value of long-duration PSH for enhancing operational flexibility, resource adequacy, and grid reliability in a high-renewable Western Interconnection.

Bhattacharyya, Arjun [ORNL] (ORCID:000900060976046↗

DOE OSTI2023

New Tool Evaluates the Financial Viability of Pumped Storage Hydropower

The rapidly evolving electricity system with increasing variable renewable energy (VRE) resources provides both opportunities and challenges for the power sector. With the significant ramps and intermittency associated with VRE resources, the requirements and need for additional flexible resources increase. Pumped storage hydropower (PSH) provides flexibility to the electricity grid to replace fossil fuel plants, which are responsible for 25% of U.S. emissions. PSH projects support various aspects of power system operations, including flexibility, ramping capability, energy, ancillary service, black start, and others. The significant potential of hydropower requires understanding the different value drivers to the electricity system specific to the location of a project and then optimizing the plant for the different system values. Thus, determining the value of PSH projects and their many services and contributions to the electricity system can be a challenge for potential developers, system owners, regulators, policy makers, and consultants.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Regional Real-Time PV Spinning Reserve Estimator

Curtailed photovoltaic (PV) generation is a zero-marginal-cost spinning reserve that can be used for a number of active power control services. Unlike traditional spinning reserve providers, however, i.e., fossil-fueled generators, which have well-defined operating characteristics, e.g., available headroom or potential high limit (PHL), PV plants have by nature variable and uncertain operating characteristics. To ensure the effective coordination between PV plants and the system operator during an active power control event, accurate knowledge of the PV PHL is essential. It ensures that enough headroom is reserved by the PV plants to deliver the award services in real time and informs feasible dispatch decisions made by the market operator. To tackle this challenge, a novel reference-control grouping-based PV plant reserve estimation method has been proposed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory under past projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office. The estimation method separates inverters within a plant into two groups: a control group and a reference group. While the reference group is reserved to operate at its PHL, the control group can be curtailed to provide the grid services. Real-time outputs from the reference inverters are used to estimate the PHL for the whole plant based on the ratio between capacities of the reference group and of the plant. This work further enhances the methodology by (1) improving the model accuracy through machine learning; (2) automating the reference inverter selection through correlation analysis; (3) considering estimation look-ahead windows; and (4) applying to regional spinning reserve estimation. Significant performance improvement has been observed based on real-world data collected by CAISO, Southern Company, and Terabase Energy. Compared with the original scaling method, the newly proposed machine learning-based approach reduces the estimation errors by 30% and 13% at the plant level and region level, respectively. Results obtained from this project are intended to be used by grid operators, market operators, balancing authorities, and PV plant owners and operators to facilitate PV participation in ancillary service markets. Regulators, policymakers, and system planners can also consider the results of this work in their decision-making processes. In addition to the performance improvement on the existing reference-control based grouping method, we also investigated how the variability of PV generation from a single PV inverter can be used to represent the variability of PV generation at the plant level.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2022

Hydropower operation in future power grid with various renewable power integration

Hydropower generation may play an increasingly important role in the power grid under increasing contribution of variable renewable sources such as wind and solar. An improved understanding of the changes to hydropower dispatch under future higher VRE grid conditions reveals research gap that should be informed power grid planning and reservoir water releases policies considering multiple other water uses and varying hydrologic condition. Here this study aims to understand the role of hydropower in a changing power grid by employing a production cost model, PLEXOS, across future power system scenarios, planning horizons, and regions. We explore optimized hydropower dispatch to understand its potential role in minimizing the system cost and renewable curtailment. We also examine the sensitivity of hydropower revenue under various grid scenarios of the Eastern U.S. and hydrology conditions. Results indicate hydropower generation follows net load and compensates for the variability of solar and wind generation. Although energy prices are lower during some periods in the future grid scenarios, there is a potential for higher revenue for hydropower by providing both energy and ancillary services during times of stress. Additionally, hydropower revenue is sensitive to hydrology in the SERC region, which we considered as an example. The feasibility of hydropower dispatching with higher ramps between low and high hourly-capacity factors, as indicated in the optimization model, requires further study to consider other water use and ecology constraints.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Policy and Regulatory Environment for Utility-Scale Energy Storage: Bangladesh

Bangladesh has experienced significant economic growth and poverty reduction over the past several decades. Recognizing the central role electricity plays in economic development, the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) has established policies to accelerate the growth of the electric power sector. The Bangladesh power grid is transforming into one marked by declining reliance on domestic natural gas reserves and oil-based rental power plants, increasing renewable energy contribution, and shifting demand patterns. The GOB is now reconsidering its prior plans to increase the share of coal capacity in the generation mix to meet demand, shifting its focus instead to electricity imports from neighboring countries, nuclear generation, liquified natural gas imports, and domestic renewable resources such as wind and solar. However, investments in the transmission and distribution system, as well as ancillary services, have not kept pace with investments in generation resources over the past decade. Thus, Bangladesh electricity consumers still experience outages and poor power quality despite adequate installed capacity. On the demand side, population growth and industrialization have fueled steady growth in electricity consumption as efforts to expand access to electricity enabled near-universal electricity access by mid-2020. The combined changes in the mix of generation resources and patterns of electricity demand present new challenges and opportunities in operating and maintaining a reliable power system. Energy storage has the potential to help meet these challenges and accelerate Bangladesh’s energy transition. Declining costs for some energy storage technologies make them increasingly cost-effective solutions to provide a wide range of grid services. Previous analyses of energy storage in the region have identified several potential applications for storage at the bulk system level, including energy arbitrage, ancillary services, and transmission network support. The potential for storage to meet these needs depends on many factors, including physical characteristics of the power system and the policy and regulatory environments in which these energy storage assets would operate. This report applies an Energy Storage Readiness Assessment the National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed for policy makers and regulators to identify priority areas of focus as they continue to develop the appropriate suite of policies, programs, and regulations to enable storage deployment. This assessment uses a simple evaluation scheme to identify the barriers and opportunities for utility-scale energy storage within Bangladesh’s policy and regulatory environment.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗