Integration of distributed controllers: Power reference tracking through charging station and building coordination
Not Available
24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
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Conservation Voltage Reduction (CVR) via Two-Timescale Control in Unbalanced Power Distribution Systems
Voltage control devices are employed in power distribution systems to reduce the power consumption by operating the system closer to the lower acceptable voltage limits; this technique is called conservation voltage reduction (CVR). The different modes of operation for system’s legacy devices (with binary control) and new devices (e.g. smart inverters with continuous control) coupled with variable photovoltaic (PV) generation results in voltage fluctuations which makes it challenging to achieve CVR objective. This paper presents a two-timescale control of feeder’s voltage control devices to achieve CVR that includes (1)a centralized controller operating in a slower time-scale to coordinate voltage control devices across the feeder and (2) local controllers operating in a faster timescale to mitigate voltage fluctuations due to PV variability. The centralized controller utilizes a three-phase optimal power flow model to obtain the decision variables for both legacy devices and smart inverters. The local controllers operate smart inverters to minimize voltage fluctuations and restore nodal voltages to their reference values by adjusting the reactive power support. The proposed approach is validated using the IEEE-123 bus (medium-size) and R3-12.47-2 (large-size) feeders. It is demonstrated that the proposed approach is effective in achieving the CVR objective for unbalanced distribution systems.
optimal control, distributed generation, fluctuati↗
Decentralized Reactive Power Control in Distribution Grids With Unknown Reactance Matrix
Not Available
25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
Quantum Reinforcement Learning for Volt-VAR Control in Power Distribution Systems
Volt-VAR control (VVC) is crucial in active distribution networks for optimizing voltage profiles and minimizing network losses. While traditional deep reinforcement learning (DRL) algorithms exhibit promise for VVC, they often require extensive computational resources to handle such a high-dimensional problem. As a potential solution, quantum reinforcement learning (QRL) algorithms integrate the computational capabilities of quantum computing into the DRL framework. However, existing QRL algorithms struggle with complex VVC problems due to the limitations of current quantum hardware. To bridge this gap, this paper proposes an innovative QRL algorithm featuring an end-to-end architecture that integrates a classical autoencoder, variational quantum circuits (VQCs), and classical post-processing layers. This design efficiently compresses high-dimensional grid states, enabling VQCs to leverage quantum advantages while producing multiple control device outputs tailored for VVC tasks. Numerical studies on three representative distribution systems verify the effectiveness and scalability of the proposed QRL algorithm, and demonstrate its enhanced performance over classical approaches with only approximately 1% of the parameters. Additionally, the robustness of our developed algorithm is validated through noisy quantum environments.
97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
Laboratory Evaluation of Federated, Hierarchical Controls for Distribution Power System Management
This presentation provides an overview of the laboratory evaluation of federated, hierarchical controls for distribution power system management.
24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
Data Privacy for the Grid: Toward a Data Privacy Standard for Inverter-Based and Distributed Energy Resources
The traditional approach to planning the distribution grid has focused on reliability in the context of gradual and reasonably predictable load growth. Forecasts of load growth, combined with asset management practices, were used by system planners to identify upgrades to the system to maintain or improve reliability. The decisions, typically based within load flow analysis tools, included considerations about contingency scenarios and corporate forecasts (i.e., top-down predictions at a summary level of what would happen in a particular area that could impact load growth and behavior). As a result, today, this traditional approach no longer fits all purposes.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
Adaptive Reinforcement Learning Control for Power Distribution in Multi-Output Resonant Converters
This paper presents an adaptive reinforcement learning (ARL)-based control framework for efficient power distribution in a multi-output resonant converter for UAV applications. The proposed system is based on a high-frequency isolated resonant architecture, where a single energy source supplies multiple propulsion loads through independently controlled output rectifiers, addressing the need for coordinated multi-motor power management. The ARL framework dynamically allocates output power by learning optimal phase-shift control actions under varying load demands and operating conditions. The agent autonomously determines control parameters that maximize conversion efficiency while ensuring accurate power sharing among multiple outputs. In addition, the proposed approach enables adaptive operation without requiring detailed system modeling or manual tuning. Experimental results demonstrate stable and efficient performance over a wide range of operating conditions, confirming the effectiveness and robustness of the learning-based control strategy for multi-output resonant converter system.
Asa, Erdem [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000190884812)↗
Laboratory Evaluation of Federated, Hierarchical Controls for Distribution Power System Management: Preprint
The connection of more loads and distributed energy resources (DERs) to the distribution power system brings both challenges and opportunities to system operators. There are opportunities to aggregate flexible loads and DERs to provide transmission grid services, but the coordinated actions of DERs being managed by independent, third-party DER aggregators to support transmission system operations can present challenges. We developed a federated DER management architecture and control framework that aims to manage heterogeneous DERs to deliver reliable transmission grid services while respecting distribution system constraints. The controls include stochastic day-ahead optimization, model predictive control, and a simple real-time management scheme. We present simulation results obtained from a realistic laboratory test bed of federated controls managing DERs within a substation service area to make the substation net power follow the optimal net power determined by the day-ahead optimization based on cost and limiting reverse power flow.
24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
Cyber‐Resilient Distributed Energy Resource Control Algorithms for Smart Distribution Grids
ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the development of cyber‐resilient gradient‐based optimisation algorithms and theoretical proof for grid‐interactive distributed energy resource (DER) control to enable two grid services of virtual power plants (VPPs) dispatch and grid voltage regulation, considering the communication and security impacts. Firstly, the combined DER dispatch and voltage regulation as a real‐time gradient‐based optimisation problem is recapped. Thereafter, we consider a probabilistic traffic model to characterise packet delays and loss in a communication network, and study how the delays enter the process of information exchange among the grid measurement units, local DER controllers and the grid control centre that execute this control algorithm in a coordinated manner. Then, a strategy combining delay thresholds and message update rules is proposed to immunity the asynchrony resulting from the communications traffic and it avoids possible numerical instabilities and sensitivities of the power tracking and voltage regulation capabilities, resulting as cyber‐resilient DER control algorithms. Additionally, their convergence is theoretically proved. Effectiveness of proposed cyber‐resilient algorithms has been validated on the IEEE 37‐bus system in terms of convergence, VPP tracking and voltage regulation performance for smart distribution systems with high penetration of DERs.
24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
Real-Time Asynchronous Information Processing in Distributed Power Systems Control
Not provided.
Engineering↗
Strategy for distributed controller defence: Leveraging controller roles and control support groups to maintain or regain control in cyber-adversarial power systems
Distributed controllers play a prominent role in electric power grid operation. The coordinated failure or malfunction of these controllers is a serious threat, where the resulting mechanisms and consequences are not yet well-known and planned against. If certain controllers are maliciously compromised by an adversary, they can be manipulated to drive the system to an unsafe state. The authors present a strategy for distributed controller defence (SDCD) for improved grid tolerance under conditions of distributed controller compromise. The work of the authors’ first formalises the roles that distributed controllers play and their control support groups using controllability analysis techniques. With these formally defined roles and groups, the authors then present defence strategies for maintaining or regaining system control during such an attack. A general control response framework is presented here for the compromise or failure of distributed controllers using the remaining, operational set. The SDCD approach is successfully demonstrated with a 7-bus system and the IEEE 118-bus system for single and coordinated distributed controller compromise; the results indicate that SDCD is able to significantly reduce system stress and mitigate compromise consequences.
97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
Stability Quantification for Consensus-Based Power Flow Control between Transmission and Distribution Power Systems
With increasing integration of distributed energy resources (DERs), distribution systems (DS) with DERs are expected to provide proactive grid services. The result is that power references, or known as dispatch signals, required for DS can become faster changing than in legacy power system. Consensus-based integral controls have been proposed for the purpose of coordinating power generations of DERs in DS to match the power references. These existing controls assume the integral control signal to be sufficiently slow or constant, and ignore the potential dynamics of the integral controller when tracking more varying power references. Therefore, in this paper we present an improvement for such controls by deriving the stability condition utilizing generalized Nyquist criterion. The stability condition is quantified by a set of integral gains that guarantee stability in closed-loop system without assuming a constant integral signal. A rule-of-thumb criterion is also derived to instruct the design of the consensus topology that can provide faster convergence rate for the closed-loop system. Here, the stability and convergence improvements developed in this paper are demonstrated and verified through numerical examples.
42 ENGINEERING↗
Consensus-Based Approach for Active Power Control and Reserve Estimation in Distributed PV Systems
With the increased adoption of distributed energy resources (DER), they are expected to contribute to power system reliability services and enhance power system stability. This paper presents a distributed consensus control approach for the real-time active power reserve estimation and power management in distributed PV (photovoltaic) systems. The proposed method estimates the cumulative active power reserve from numerous PV generators using only the sparse communication network for a DER aggregator to provide active power regulation services. The real-time active power reserve estimation using the proposed approach can be used by DER aggregators to manage curtailment in distributed PV systems to maintain stipulated reserves and further to provide power system frequency regulation. Using the proposed approach, the DER aggregator only requires measurements at the feeder substation and it does not require information from individual DER units, thereby improving system resiliency. The proposed distributed consensus control method is validated on IEEE 123 testbed using PSCAD simulations.
active power reserve↗