MRI: Acquisition of a Large-Scale Real-Time Digital Simulator for Cyber-Physical Energy Systems

Board Of Regents, Nshe, Obo University Of Nevada, Reno, Reno NV

Investigators

Abstract

This NSF MRI project aims to make the U.S. power grid resilient and cyber-secure by acquiring a simulator that will allow researchers to realistically model how power grids work in practice, incorporating events like natural disasters, communication failures, and cyber-attacks. This equipment, called a real-time digital simulator, will bring a transformative change to the field of power and energy engineering through co-simulating different power system responses (transient, dynamic, and steady-state) at large scale and simulating cascading failures with actual devices via hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) capability. This will be achieved by building a large-scale cyber-physical energy systems testbed that will enable multi-disciplinary research, education, and training. The intellectual merits of the project include developing 1) user-friendly algorithms for multi-timeframe simulation of power system responses; 2) solutions that detect and mitigate potential cyber-attacks on power grids; and 3) resilient communication systems for power grids during extreme events. The broader impacts of the project include improving the resilience and stability of the power supply against extreme events, strengthening the cybersecurity of power grids, and providing training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students and engineers. The testbed will lead to transformative research through testing, validating, and demonstrating the developed solutions on large-scale simulators with cybersecurity, communication, and HiL capabilities. Research activities to be enabled by this testbed include 1) developing solutions for proactive resource scheduling and hardening prior to natural disasters to protect power grids from wildfires, storms, and earthquakes; 2) developing components (technical controls and configuration options) needed for secure exchange of information with blind processing and privacy preservation, thereby hardening power grid cybersecurity; 3) researching solutions for the integration of renewable energy sources, mainly by using energy storage systems to provide grid services and synthetic inertia; 4) developing methods to detect and isolate high-impedance faults, which are known to cause wildfires and power system malfunctions; 5) using unmanned aerial vehicles to assess post-disaster damages to power grids and implement the restoration of the grid; 6) developing tools for power system operators that raise situational awareness; and 7) raising understanding of microgrid islanding and autonomous operation capabilities in cases of severe power outages. 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.