Operation and Control of Smart Distribution Systems

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Reliable, efficient, low-cost, and high-quality electricity supply is a major factor in improving and maintaining a high standard of living in Canada. Currently, electricity supplies face numerous challenges from different avenues such as environmental pollution, decline of indigenous energy supplies, and aged energy infrastructure. Although it is generally accepted that centralized electric power plants will remain the major source of electric power supply for the future, it is evident that simply stringing together additional central plants and wires can lead to a more vulnerable power system. Recent restructuring of the energy system has created a competitive landscape for power generation and opened a new era for the utilization of decentralized energy sources or what is known as Distributed Generation (DG). The potential lower cost, higher service reliability, high power quality, increased energy efficiency, and energy independence and security are all reasons for interest in DG. Moreover, since most of the DG technologies are sustainable such as wind, photovoltaic, geothermal or hydroelectric, or clean energy sources such as fuel cells, significant environmental benefits can be achieved. Increased deployment of DG technologies can have a beneficial impact on Canadian Government energy policy goals which are reducing emissions, ensuring reliable energy supply, and promoting competitive markets. Further, the energy sector is moving toward implimenting the smart grid. The natural evolution of this vision is the transformation of conventional distribution systems into Smart Distribution Systems (SDSs), which host distributed and renewable generation units, energy storage devices, load management controllers, grid-automation devices and algorithms with seamless integration characteristics. The proposed research work aims to develop of advanced models, operation and control algorithms that will facilitate timely and safe integration of SDSs devices into existing networks. This research will help the utilities sector eliminate the current barriers impeding deployment of sustainable and other clean sources, intelligent automation devices and control algorithms into the utility grid.