CAREER: Operation of Distribution Grids in the Context of High-Penetration Distributed Energy Resources and Flexible Loads

分布式能源（DER）和柔性负载（如光伏（PV）面板、电动汽车（EV）和储能系统（ESS））的数量在消费者端迅速增长。这些小型分布式设备通过电力电子接口连接到低压配电网，电力电子接口可以支持双向电力流。尽管尺寸很小，但如果聚集，这些设备提供大部分的能量和辅助服务（例如，无功功率支持、频率调节、负载跟踪），这是电网可靠和安全运行所必需的。在未来的配电网中，有许多这样的小型有源设备，实时控制和聚合将带来计算挑战。当聚合需要与涉及整数决策变量（诸如有载分接开关、电容器组和网络开关）的传统电网控制动作协调时，计算挑战进一步增加。这个CAREER项目集中在解决配电网的运行和计算问题，具有大的DER和灵活的负载渗透。这个职业生涯项目旨在发展：i）新颖的配电最优潮流和聚合的混合整数二阶锥规划（MISOCP）模型，其对于具有数千个聚合节点的实际规模的电网是计算上易处理的，ii）在真实的时间中调度DER和柔性负载的有功和无功功率的分布式控制算法，以及iii）在电网级和DER聚集级的资产的概率调度模型，其最小化配电网操作的预期约束违反。这些分布式优化和控制模型将提供足够快的调度解决方案，使得分布级的聚合可以容易地跟踪各种时间分辨率范围内的应用的电网信号。该职业项目的教育和推广活动包括：i）设计分布式控制和优化的高级课程，以培养在校和在线本科生和研究生水平的动力工程学生，ii）激励K-12学生追求科学，技术，工程，和数学（STEM），为他们提供机会参加密歇根理工大学智能电网运营中心（SGOC）的几项活动，以及iii）通过使用密歇根理工大学的移动的微电网实验室积极展示基本的电力工程概念，接触德克萨斯州的西班牙裔学生和南达科他州的美洲土著学生。

The number of distributed energy resources (DERs) and flexible loads such as photovoltaic (PV) panels, electric vehicles (EVs), and energy storage systems (ESSs) are rapidly growing at the consumer end. These small distributed devices connect to low voltage power distribution grids via power electronic interfaces that can support bi-directional power flows. Despite being small in size, if aggregated, these devices a provide significant portion of the energy and ancillary services (e.g., reactive power support, frequency regulation, load following) necessary for reliable and secure operation of electric power grids. In future distribution grids, with numerous such small active devices, real-time control and aggregation will entail computational challenges. The computational challenges further increase when the aggregation requires coordination with legacy grid control actions which involve integer decision variables, such as load tap changers, capacitor banks, and network switches. This CAREER project concentrates around solving operational and computational issues for distribution grids with large penetration of DERs and flexible loads. This CAREER project aims to develop: i) novel mixed-integer second order cone programming (MISOCP) models of distribution optimal power flow and aggregation, which are computationally tractable for practical-sized power grids with thousands of aggregation nodes, ii) distributed control algorithms in dispatching active and reactive power of DER and flexible loads in real time, and iii) a probabilistic dispatch model of the assets at the grid level and at the DER aggregation level that minimizes expected constraint violation of distribution grid operations. These distributed optimization and control models will provide dispatch solutions sufficiently fast that the aggregation at the distribution level could easily track grid signals for applications ranging over various time resolutions. The educational and outreach activities of this CAREER project include: i) to design advanced curriculum on distributed control and optimization to train on-campus and online undergraduate and graduate level power engineering students, ii) to motivate K-12 students in pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) by providing them opportunities to participate on several activities at Michigan Tech's Smart Grid Operations Center (SGOC), and iii) to reach out to Hispanic students in Texas and Native American students in South Dakota through active demonstration of fundamental power engineering concepts by using Michigan Tech's Mobile Microgrid Laboratory.