Electric Power Grid Modernization

传统的交流电力系统构成了发电/输电/输送电能的主要基础设施，并基于20世纪中期集中发电、控制和运营的概念和战略。这一遗留系统显示出固有的局限性，不能满足21世纪的当前和未来要求。原因是(I)发电类型和特征的组合不断变化，例如风能和太阳能的渗透率很高；(Ii)需要更高程度的安全、弹性和可靠性，例如防止因自然(甚至人为)灾难而导致的故障和停电；以及(Iii)电力市场民主化的需求日益增加，以促进客户的参与。这导致了电网现代化框架下的一系列活动，其主要基础是(I)传感和测量的大量利用，(Ii)能源储存系统的电网整合，以及(Iii)新的运行、控制和潮流概念/战略。这种从传统电网向现代化电网转变的主要驱动因素是供需侧机会的增加，以及信息和通信技术(ICT)和基于电力电子的设备和系统(例如高压直流(HVDC)系统)在技术和经济上的可行性，以便整合到交流电力系统中。在不久的将来，即到2025年，现代化电网的主要目标是降低(I)停电、(Ii)备用余量和(Iii)清洁能源整合的成本。 这一发现资助计划专注于新型控制、潮流和运营策略的研发，以实现从传统基础设施到现代化电网的过渡过程。预期研发计划的使能技术包括(I)基于使用电压源换流器(VSC)配置的重叠高压直流输电网络和(Ii)用于传感、测量、控制和保护的信息通信技术。VSC-HVDC系统构成了传统交流电网不可分割的一部分，并作为物理层，在其宿主交流系统中实现预期的控制、潮流和运行策略，并实现交流电网现代化所需的功能。整个交流电网和覆盖的VSC-HVDC系统还将配备信通技术，以协调传感、监测、测量和通信。基于信息和通信技术的网络层还补充了对主机交流系统进行广域控制/保护的基础设施。该研究计划的结果为(I)可再生资源的大规模整合、(Ii)发电/需求经济所要求的大量电力的高效时空转移、(Iii)防止级联事件/故障以及(Iv)在传统电网中整合多个微电网提供了基础。

The legacy AC power system constitutes the main infrastructure for generation/transmission/delivery of the electrical energy, and is based on the mid-20th century centralized generation, control, and operational concepts and strategies. This legacy system exhibits inherent limitations to meet the current and the future requirements of the 21th century. The reasons are (i) changing mix of types and characteristics of generation, e.g., high-depth of penetration of wind and solar power, (ii) the need for higher degree of security, resiliency and reliability, e.g., to prevent failures and blackouts due to natural (and even man-made) disasters , and (iii) the increasing demand for democratization of the electricity market to facilitate customers' participation. These have resulted in a portfolio of activities under the umbrella of grid modernization which is primarily based on (i) massive utilization of sensing and measurement, (ii) grid-integration of energy storage systems, and (iii) novel operation, control and power flow concepts/strategies. The main drivers behind this transformation from the legacy- to the modernized-grid are the growing supply- and demand-side opportunities, and the technical and economical viability of the information and communication technologies (ICTs) and power electronic based apparatus and systems, e.g., high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) systems, for integration in AC power systems. The main objective of a modernized-grid in the near future, i.e., by 2025, is to reduce the costs of (i) power outage, (ii) reserve margin, and (iii) clean energy integration. This discovery grant program focuses on the R&D of novel control, power flow, and operational strategies to enable transition process from the legacy infrastructure to the modernized grid. The enabling technologies for the envisioned R&D program include (i) the overlay HVDC transmission network based on the use of voltage-sourced converter (VSC) configurations and (ii) ICTs for sensing, measurement, control and protection. The VSC-HVDC system forms an integral part of the legacy AC grid and serves as the physical layer to realize the envisioned control, power flow, and the operational strategies in its host AC system and enable the functionalities that are required to modernized the AC grid. The overall AC grid and the overlay VSC-HVDC system also will be equipped with ICTs for coordinated sensing, monitoring, measurement and communications. The ICT-based cyber layer also compliments the infrastructure for wide-area control/protection of the host AC system. The outcome of this research program provides the basis for (i) large-scale integration of renewable resources, (ii) efficient spatial/temporal transfer of bulk power as the economy of generation/demand dictates, (iii) prevention of cascaded events/failures, and (iv) integration of multi-microgrids in the legacy grid.