SBIR Phase I: Cloud-Based Electric Power Grid Simulation Software With Equivalent Circuit Methods

小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是实现更安全、更可靠和更高效的电网。电网是美国所有经济部门所依赖的关键基础设施，因此其可靠性和稳定性至关重要。正在开发的技术是分析和预测电网异常和停电的理想建模和仿真平台，因为它具有前所未有的准确模拟复杂系统的能力。其基于物理的仿真引擎可以包含更详细的电网负载模型，从而使系统操作员能够更好地评估电网状态和稳定性。这项拟议的技术还具有独特的能力，能够在输电和配电规模上对分布式能源进行建模，这一行业需求被认为是增加可再生能源在电网中渗透的关键。这项技术具有巨大的商业影响潜力，因为有数千家输电、配电、发电和咨询组织是潜在客户。这些因素结合在一起，可以帮助实现更强大、更安全的电网，以降低成本和排放。这一第一阶段项目是将这项技术商业化的第一步。这一小企业创新研究第一阶段项目与用于建立电网模型的传统方法有很大不同。该团队的基础研究已经表明，该技术可以从任何初始条件模拟美国东部互联(美国输电电网的一半)，以评估复杂的意外情况--这是现有工具无法实现的能力。该模型中使用的基于电流和电压的公式比传统电力系统仿真软件中使用的更加灵活，从而使基于物理和/或测量的模型能够获得更准确的仿真结果。第一阶段项目包括为支持并行化网格分析的技术开发安全可靠的云平台，以及完整的组件模型库和基于Web的直观界面。这将使系统操作员、公用事业公司和顾问能够以比目前的软件更高的吞吐量实现更准确的模拟，从而改进他们的规划研究和操作。第一阶段完成的工作将作为电网建模和仿真未来发展的基础，包括综合输配系统分析和统计分析，以评估不确定因素对电网的影响。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to enable a safer, more reliable, and more efficient electric power grid. The power grid is critical infrastructure on which all of America's economic sectors depend, and so its reliability and stability is of the utmost importance. The technology being developed is the ideal modeling and simulation platform to analyze and predict grid abnormalities and blackouts due to its unprecedented ability to simulate complex systems accurately. Its physics-based simulation engine can incorporate more detailed models of loads on the grid, thereby allowing system operators to better assess grid state and stability. The proposed technology is also uniquely capable of modeling distributed energy resources at the transmission and distribution scale, an industry need that has been deemed critical to increase the penetration of renewables on the grid. The technology has substantial potential for commercial impact, as there are thousands of transmission, distribution, generation, and consulting organizations that are potential customers. Combined, these factors can help enable a more robust, secure grid that operates with reduced cost and emissions. This Phase I project represents the first step in making this technology a commercial reality.This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project represents a significant departure from traditional methods that are used to model the electric power grid. The team's foundational research has already shown that the technology can simulate the U.S. Eastern Interconnection (half of the U.S. transmission grid) from any initial condition to evaluate complex contingencies - capabilities that are not possible with existing tools. The current- and voltage-based formulation used in the model is more flexible than is used in traditional power systems simulation software, enabling more realistic physics- and/or measurement-based models for more accurate simulation results. The Phase I project includes developing a secure and robust cloud platform for the technology that supports parallelized grid analyses, with a full library of component models and an intuitive web-based interface. This will enable system operators, utilities, and consultants to improve their planning studies and operations by enabling more accurate simulations at a higher throughput than is possible with today's software. The work done in Phase I will serve as a foundation for future advancements in power grid modeling and simulation, including integrated transmission and distribution system analysis and statistical analysis to assess the impact of uncertainties on the grid.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.