Hierarchical, Grid-Aware, and Economically Optimal Coordination of Distributed Energy Resources in Realistic Distribution Systems

Mads Almassalkhi, Sarnaduti Brahma, Nawaf Nazir, Hamid Ossareh, Pavan Racherla, Soumya Kundu, Sai Pushpak Nandanoori, Thiagarajan Ramachandran, Ankit Singhal, Dennice Gayme, Chengda Ji, Enrique Mallada, Yue Shen, Pengcheng You and Dhananjay Anand
Additional contact information
Mads Almassalkhi: Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
Sarnaduti Brahma: Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
Nawaf Nazir: Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
Hamid Ossareh: Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
Pavan Racherla: Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
Soumya Kundu: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Electricity Infrastructure and Buildings Division, Richland, WA 99352, USA
Sai Pushpak Nandanoori: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Electricity Infrastructure and Buildings Division, Richland, WA 99352, USA
Thiagarajan Ramachandran: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Electricity Infrastructure and Buildings Division, Richland, WA 99352, USA
Ankit Singhal: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Electricity Infrastructure and Buildings Division, Richland, WA 99352, USA
Dennice Gayme: Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
Chengda Ji: Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
Enrique Mallada: Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
Yue Shen: Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
Pengcheng You: Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
Dhananjay Anand: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Smart Grid Program, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 23, 1-40

Abstract: Renewable portfolio standards are targeting high levels of variable solar photovoltaics (PV) in electric distribution systems, which makes reliability more challenging to maintain for distribution system operators (DSOs). Distributed energy resources (DERs), including smart, connected appliances and PV inverters, represent responsive grid resources that can provide flexibility to support the DSO in actively managing their networks to facilitate reliability under extreme levels of solar PV. This flexibility can also be used to optimize system operations with respect to economic signals from wholesale energy and ancillary service markets. Here, we present a novel hierarchical scheme that actively controls behind-the-meter DERs to reliably manage each unbalanced distribution feeder and exploits the available flexibility to ensure reliable operation and economically optimizes the entire distribution network. Each layer of the scheme employs advanced optimization methods at different timescales to ensure that the system operates within both grid and device limits. The hierarchy is validated in a large-scale realistic simulation based on data from the industry. Simulation results show that coordination of flexibility improves both system reliability and economics, and enables greater penetration of solar PV. Discussion is also provided on the practical viability of the required communications and controls to implement the presented scheme within a large DSO.

Keywords: distributed energy resources; smart loads; flexibility; distribution system operator; distribution network; optimal power flow; control; large scale; solar energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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