PFI-RP: Increasing the stability of large-scale electric power systems through an adaptive measurement-driven controller prototype.

University Of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville TN

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Research Partnerships (PFI-RP) project, if successful, will be in the availability of an adaptive and reliable controller for large-scale electric power systems. The proposed controller is different from the traditional physical-based model by using an advanced measurement-based approach that will make it adaptive and, therefore, able to provide optimal control under different operating conditions. The proposed controller is expected to significantly mitigate the risk of widespread outages in electric power systems and related economic and societal losses. The controller is also expected to enable operators to maintain electric power system stability, increase the capacity utilization of existing transmission lines and reduce operating and maintenance costs. In addition, the proposed controller is expected to reduce electricity costs for consumers in remote areas and enable the integration of renewable energy sources electric power systems. The proposed project will develop an innovative adaptive wide-area damping controller (WADC) prototype to suppress low-frequency oscillations in large-scale power systems. The project intends to address technical challenges that prevent the application of such a controller to power systems. A robust system identification algorithm will be designed to eliminate the impact of measurement noise and error. A real-time delay compensation and measurement processing technology will be developed to handle time delay and data loss. Cyber-attack detection methods and associated mitigation measures will be developed to ensure the security of this real-time control. The prototype will be demonstrated on a real-time simulation platform that mimics a realistic power system operating environment using realistic grid models, demonstrating a new measurement-driven approach in large-scale power system modeling and control. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.