CAREER: Control, Optimization, and Market Design for Efficient and Reliable Integration of Renewable Energy Sources in Electric Power Systems

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The U.S. power grid is in the midst of its most fundamental transformation since its inception. Spurred by the need to reduce emissions, the electric generation mix is drifting away from traditional fuel-based sources, towards new renewable sources with very different characteristics. However, integrating renewable sources into the existing grid in an efficient and reliable manner will not be possible unless one devises appropriate mechanisms to overcome the technical challenges associated with high levels of renewable penetration. The main challenges that hinder high levels of renewable penetration include (a) the increased dynamic degradation induced by renewable sources, (b) the uncertainty and intermittency in energy production levels, and (c) the incentives misalignment that preclude renewable energy sources to behave in a more grid-friendly manner. To address these challenges this CAREER proposal aims to develop a new generation of decentralized controllers, distributed algorithms, and market designs that can unlock today's grid rigidity, capture the value of fast timescale actions in operational costs, and allow a seamless integration of renewables. This is achieved by focusing on two main goals. The first goal aims to develop analysis and design tools that allow the systematic design of (i) decentralized algorithms with robustness guarantees, (ii) dynamics-aware distributed optimization algorithms that can perform real-time optimization without introducing system-wide instabilities, and (iii) multi-timescale markets that integrate operations and controls. The second goal is to leverage the developed tools in the design of new control features that are aimed at boosting the grid flexibility. The three new applications proposed in this project are: (a) Dynamic Droop Control (iDroop), (b) Real-time Congestion Management (RCM), and (c) Voltage Collapse Stabilization (VCS). The project also contains an integrated educational and outreach plan that includes (a) development of a new course on networked dynamical systems, (b) undergraduate research that explores high-risk high-reward topics, (c) involvement of women and ethnic minorities in the preparation of demonstrations and testbeds, and (d) K-12 and community outreach through the Johns Hopkins Center for Educational Outreach.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.