CAREER: Towards Enhanced Grid Robustness: Augmenting Grid-Regulating Capabilities Through Discrete Controls on Emerging Power Technologies

这个NSF CAREER项目旨在提高电力系统的性能及其吸收可再生能源的能力。该项目将通过激活大量控制执行器来增强电网的鲁棒性，从而带来革命性的变化，否则这些执行器将提供非常有限的控制能力。这将通过在能源存储系统、太阳能发电和风力涡轮机等新兴技术中设计创新的离散控制机制来实现。该项目的智力优势包括推进系统动力学领域的知识，以及一种可以处理诸如电网等非常大规模系统的约束和特征的整体方法。从更广泛的影响来看，该项目将为离散控制适用的其他领域的相关问题提供见解。此外，该项目将为社会带来更可靠的电网和更少的停电，并促进环保的电力生产，从而减少化石燃料发电厂造成的当地污染造成的公众健康问题。该项目将开发一个扩展连续和离散电网控制知识的框架。考虑了基于新兴电源技术的驱动设计，以实现快速响应，并在硬件和仿真测试平台上进行了测试。离散逻辑之前已经被用于电网控制，但使用了几个简化的假设，如单一的区域间振荡模式，振荡两端的系统聚集，以及位于振荡路径上的唯一可控组件。本项目将从一个新的角度重新审视这一问题，并将发展一种新的理论，将电力系统的振荡行为与在可控组件上施加离散功率变化时平衡点的瞬时移动联系起来。研究主题将包括大规模动态系统，多种振荡模式，多种可控组件，以及对干扰的适应，所有这些都旨在提高电力系统的稳定性，以增加可再生能源的渗透。一项综合教育计划将通过针对本科生和大学预科学生的具体项目，以及针对拉美裔美国人的指导项目来利用这项研究，支持他们追求专业或学术事业。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This NSF CAREER project aims to improve power system performance and its ability to uptake increased penetration of renewable energy. This project will bring transformative change by enhancing grid robustness through activating a large number of control actuators that would otherwise offer very limited control capabilities. This will be achieved by designing innovative discrete control mechanisms in emerging technologies such as energy storage systems, solar power generation, and wind turbines. The intellectual merits of the project include advancing knowledge in the field of system dynamics, and a holistic approach that can handle the constraints and characteristics of very large-scale systems such as the electric power grid. As broader impacts, this project will provide insights into related problems from other fields where discrete control is applicable. In addition, this project will benefit society with a more reliable power grid with fewer blackouts, and facilitate environmentally friendly power production leading to fewer public health problems caused by local pollution from fossil fuel power plants.The project will develop a framework that extends knowledge of continuous and discrete power grid controls. Actuation design on emerging power technologies to achieve a fast response, and tests on both hardware and simulation-based testbeds are considered. Discrete logics have been explored before for power grid control, but using several simplifying assumptions such as single inter-area oscillation mode, system aggregation on both of the oscillation ends, and a unique controllable component located right on the oscillation path. This project will reexamine this problem from a new perspective and will develop a new theory that connects power system oscillatory behavior with momentary shifting of equilibrium points when discrete power changes are enforced at controllable components. Topics of study will include large-scale dynamic systems, multiple oscillation modes, multiple controllable components, and adaptation to disturbances, all geared towards enhancing power system stability for increased penetration of renewable energy. An integrated educational plan will leverage the research through specific projects for undergraduate and pre-college students and through mentoring programs for Hispanic Americans to support their pursuit for professional or academic careers.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.