Phillip James Douglass
Integrated ICT and Electric Power Distribution System Design
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) enable new applications in the electric power system such as the coordination of distributed energy resources, and remote sensing. Despite falling costs for ICT resources, they still represent a significant investment, and an economically efficient power system must target their use to the services with the highest value.
The purpose of the project is to develop and evaluate a methodology for optimizing the planning of electric power distribution systems and telecommunication systems as an integrated entity. The project will identify the trade-offs that exist when allocating resources between the two sub-systems. Software tools to assist the planning and integrated design will be implemented to demonstrate the utility of the proposed design paradigm.
Power systems designers will then have tools which allow them to expand their system boundaries to include ICT resources.
To be completed: 2013
Evgeniya Dmitrova
Early Warning and Early Prevention Methods for Voltage Instability
To provide higher capacity, transmission systems should be operated closer to the stability borders. At the same time reliable and uninterruptable supply of power should be provided. To meet these requirements there is a need of new real-time stability monitoring methods. Furthermore effective tool for the instability prediction and prevention is required. The project is aimed on the usage of wide area measurements for real-time stability maintaining.
The objective is to create algorithms which are able to generate early warning of instability risk and advise corresponding preventive countermeasures, on the basis of real-time processed Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) data. The Danish Power system will be considered, paying special attention to the distributed wind generation and multiple HVDC interconnections as the objects of countermeasures.
Developed methods will help dispatchers to lead the power system safely under very stressed conditions.
To be completed: 2013
Francesco Marra
Electric vehicles in the electric power system with hign penetration of wind power - charge/discharge infrastructure
The actual interest on electric vehicles (EVs) is due to a number of reasons: EVs can provide a unique opportunity to reduce CO2 emissions. At the same time, EVs can play a major role of energy storage solution which will facilitate the increasing penetration of renewable energies, such as wind power. However, a widespread use of EVs poses new technical challenges concerning their charge/discharge infrastructure.
The objective of the project is to design, develop and test a solution for charging/discharging EVs, with the purpose of smoothing out the effect of wind power fluctuations in the power system. The focus will be on the implementation of an efficient charging architecture for EVs. Furthermore the project will access and develop a vehicle-to-grid concept which can be used for grid power balancing purposes.
An intelligent design of charge/discharge infrastructure is crucial for a spread utilization of electric vehicles, and can improve the overall efficiency of the grid, while reducing CO2.
To be completed: 2012
Peter Bach Andersen
Virtual power plants for distributed energy resources including electric vehicles – ICT architecture and communication
The purpose of a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) is to actively integrating distributed energy resources (DERs) in the power system and market by introducing an aggregated system where multiply controllable loads/DERs are partly or fully controlled by a single coordinating entity.
The PhD project focuses on the ICT standards and protocols that will facilitate communication between power system components, VPP aggregators and end-users. Relevant parameters such as security, reliability, interoperability and performance must be evaluated. The result should be a set of technology recommendations and the development of a demonstration platform.
The PhD study is tightly coupled to the ongoing EDISON and VPP projects in which IBM and CET participates and to which the student should make contributions throughout the study.
To be completed: 2012
Seung Tae Cha
Real-time simulation of active distribution networks with a high penetration of renewable energy
The electrical power supply systems of the future will be characterised by a high proportion of renewable energy sources, by decentralised, externally determined generation and increasingly by a strongly developed electricity business. This particular integration of distributed renewable generation sources into the electricity grid poses a number of challenges for the industry. Utilities will be faced with issues of enabling high penetration of wind power into both existing and future distribution networks.
The objective of the project is to investigate the influence of renewable energies and distributed power production on the operation of active distribution networks based on the advanced real-time simulation platform.
The challenge of making accurate simulation of small coupled systems will be addressed. Furthermore, a method to realize power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) simulations is investigated.
Based on these real-time models and studies, power system operation problems are identified faster, operating schemes and technical solutions are designed and tested.
To be completed: 2012
Iván Arana Aristi
Overvoltages and protection in offshore wind power grids
The failure rate of components in offshore wind power plants is unpredictable. Consequently, there is a need to produce guidelines regarding the modeling of electrical equipment and methods to assess the transient and temporary overvoltages correctly, known to appear in the collection grid of large offshore wind farms.
A core subject will be the analysis of available measurements in offshore wind farms with the aim to create digital models of the main electrical components in the collection grid. Once the simulation results and measurements (model validation) are in agreement, transient and temporary overvoltage studies will be carried out to estimate the potential risks correctly.
Based on these models and studies, protection schemes and systems can be evaluated to create the best technical solution to ensure a more reliable wind power plant.
To be completed: 2011
Kai Heussen
Control architecture for future power systems
A major challenge for our society is the transition from fossil fuel based energy systems to a system based mostly on sustainable energy sources. In a large interdisciplinary effort the CEESA project aims at developing feasible scenarios for a 100% renewable energy system for Denmark in 2050. Renewable energy sources are bound to increase the complexity of electric power systems, which are amongst the largest and most complex systems man has created.
The goal of this project is to provide an integrative modeling approach to representing and evaluating alternative control architectures. Further, we aim at contributing to improved energy system scenario-modeling. The approach is based on a formal modeling language developed at DTU, which is directly compatible with reasoning techniques of artificial intelligence, and can be used to formalize conditions and requirements.
A clear formalization of system and component functions makes the systems complexity accessible to IT-based control, which may enable more dependable control structures.
To be completed: 2011
Thyge Knüppel
Impact of wind power on power system small signal stability and wind turbine small signal stability models
In recent years power systems around the world have experienced and are experiencing an immense growth of installed capacity of wind power. And as such, wind power is playing an ever larger role in the balancing and the stability of electrical power systems. From a system perspective this increases the requirements to the wind turbines, as they are expected to support stable operation of the power system.
In this PhD-project implication of wind power on dynamic stability of power systems is investigated. The project seeks to establish how the wind farms should be efficiently modeled for the analysis, which effects the wind farms have on the dynamic stability, and whether the wind farms can contribute positively to the stability.
Insight into the interaction of wind power and dynamic stability will enable further expansion with wind power in power systems suffering with dynamic stability issues.
To be completed: 2011
Hjörtur Johannsson
Development of PMU-based early warning system for electric power systems
The formation of the power system towards increasing the utilization of renewable energy sources combined with a generally more stressed transmission system necessitates research within the field of on-line assessment of the power system stability.
With the development of Phasors Measurements Units (PMUs), it became possible to obtain synchronized wide area “snapshots” of the system’s operating condition which provided a unique opportunity to develop methods for power system monitoring, protection and control. The objective is to develop a method utilizing the benefits of wide area PMU measurements to provide an early warning, should instability in the electric power systems occur.
To avoid a widespread system blackout, the early warning method may increase the time window, which the system operators have, to take appropriate countermeasures.
Germán Claudio Tarnowski
Coordinated frequency control of wind turbines in power systems with high wind power penetration
Conventional power plants are responsible for controlling the frequency of the voltage in the electricity network. Actual wind power does not contribute to this control. The increase in wind power makes the grid frequency control more difficult. New control solutions for integrating an increased share of wind power need to be developed, dealing specifically with the frequency stability problem of high wind power penetration or islanding situations.
The project will develop new control algorithms for the active power control of wind turbines. The frequency problem can be handled by real-time balancing of the wind power production, conventional power production and, eventually, demand consumption. The project is carried out at DTU and Vestas Wind Systems A/S. A full-scale implementation at one or several wind turbines on the island Bornholm will provide a realistic validation.
This project will provide technical solutions and knowledge regarding the design and functionality of the power control of wind turbines for future power systems.
To be completed: 2011
Preben Nyeng
Exploiting ancillary services from distributed generation by means of standardized communication
Distributed energy resources have been and are still widely implemented in the electric power system. To maintain the secure and flexible operation of the system, the demand arises for utilizing not only the primary energy production, but also ancillary services from the distributed resources. This demand can only be met if a coherent information and communication system tightly integrates the distributed resources with the rest of the system.
The objective is to contribute to the development of an internationally standardized information and communication system for distributed energy resources and to investigate how new markets can facilitate the delivery of ancillary services from distributed resources. The ancillary services may include reactive power, frequency control and reserve capabilities.
With a good information integration of distributed resources, they change from being a challenge to the system to playing a very important role in the intelligent power system of tomorrow.
To be completed: 2011
Recently completed PhD projects
Yu Chen
Control architecture for intentional islanding operation in future distribution network with high penetration of distributed generation
Currently, more distributed generations (DG), such as wind turbines and combined heat and power plants, are penetrating into the electric distribution system. How to control them to maintain the security of the power supply, especially during emergency situations, is of great interest since most of the present control strategies do not consider their high participation. Within this scope, a possible solution may be intentional islanding operation.
This project will develop a control architecture for the electric distribution system during operational disturbances and faults via intentional islanding operation. As part of the NextGen project, this project focuses on system modeling and simulation regarding the control architecture and recommends the development of a communication and information exchange system based on IEC 61850.
The islanding control architecture can assist the power system operator to maintain the security of supply and develop a more flexible smart grid with high penetration of DGs.
Completed: 2010
Arshad Saleem
Agent based control of power systems with decentralized production
Denmark’s electric power system exhibits some unique characteristics. An increasing part of the electricity is produced by distributed generators (DGs). Most of these DGs are connected to the network at distribution level. This situation has created an incentive in the electric power industry to utilize modern information and communication technologies (ICT) for improving the system automation and control.
The objective of the project is to investigate the use of intelligent agent technology in connection with the implementation of control and automation strategies for the dynamic segmentation of electric power networks. Power system requirements to dynamic control structures will be identified. Furthermore, the project will investigate how agent technology can be used in these cases to implement flexible control strategies.
A careful use of intelligent agents and autonomous systems is crucial for the realization of the future sustainable, flexible and green energy system – the smart grid.
Completed: 2010