Aviation-to-Grid: Grid flexibility through multiscale modelling and integration of power systems with electrified air transport

可以说，航空业是最难脱碳的行业之一。英国政府最近的交通脱碳计划目标是加速航空脱碳，到2050年达到净零排放，目标是到2040年减少英国机场运营产生的碳排放，并支持开发新的零碳英国飞机技术[1]。交通部的航空战略建议将电气化作为减少航空业碳排放的可能解决方案[2]。电气化技术正成功地部署在陆上运输中。电气化现在正面临挑战，以解决更雄心勃勃的航空脱碳问题。在空中，电动飞机和混合动力飞机，特别是短途或支线电动飞机，发展迅速。在地面上，英国机场(希思罗机场作为该提案的项目合作伙伴)领导试点脱碳项目，以实现向区域电动和可持续航空的过渡，并塑造未来低碳基础设施和服务的格局。目前，电力系统和电气化航空运输在能源用户和供应商、基础设施和互操作性方面存在严重脱节，以实现这两个行业的净零。航空电气化将在电力系统和电气化航空运输之间创造一种新的联系。有几个关键挑战：1)电力系统将要求电气化航空融入地面能源基础设施，不能使未来电网超负荷。2)作为新能源用户，电气化航空要求电力系统提供大量低碳电力，以满足电动飞机的新负载。3)需要重要的充电基础设施。我们对英国机场的可行性研究表明，即使只有10%的国内航班电气化，也需要花费5000万GB用于充电基础设施。4)建设额外发电能力的成本将非常高。我们的初步研究表明，如果英国45%的国内航班实现电气化，将需要增加15千兆瓦的发电能力。这项拟议的研究将探索电力系统和电气化航空运输系统之间的新联系的基本整合，称为航空到电网，雄心勃勃的目标是弥合两个系统在能源需求和供应、基础设施和互操作性方面的重大脱节。这将通过使用多尺度能量建模和系统集成作为关键研究方法来实现。将研究一种新的航空-电网灵活性概念，作为一种潜在的解决方案，以解锁航空-电网的灵活性条款，从而降低基础设施和运营成本，并在两个系统之间共同优化。该项目首次将电力行业(国家电网ESO)、机场运营商(希思罗机场)、能源基础设施解决方案(英国电力网络服务)、运输政策(运输部)和英国学术界(SuperGen，DTE Network)真正以跨学科的方式结合在一起。在该项目中，多尺度能源建模(WP1)和多尺度系统集成(WP2)将探索一种跨越电力系统和电气化航空运输的新联系的自下而上的方法。将通过成本效益分析(WP3)评估航空到电网的灵活性条款。航空到电网灵活性的工业应用潜力将在实验室的实时模拟平台中使用具有代表性的案例研究和实施建议(WP4)来展示。[1]脱碳运输：一个更好、更绿色的英国，运输部，2021年7月14日[2]航空2050-英国航空的未来，运输部，2019年10月22日

Aviation is arguably one of the most difficult sectors to be decarbonised. The UK government's recent Transport Decarbonisation Plan targets for Accelerating Aviation Decarbonisation to reach net zero by 2050, aiming to decarbonise emissions from airport operations in England by 2040, and to support the development of new and zero carbon UK aircraft technology [1]. The Department for Transport's Aviation Strategy recommends electrification as a possible solution to mitigate aviation's carbon emissions [2]. Electrification technologies are being deployed successfully in land-based transport. Electrification is now being challenged to address the more ambitious aviation decarbonisation. In the air, electric and hybrid aircraft particularly for short-haul or regional electric aircraft have advanced rapidly. On the ground, UK airports (Heathrow as a project partner of this proposal) lead pilot decarbonisation projects to enable the transition to regional electric and sustainable aviation, and shape the landscape of future low-carbon infrastructure and services.Currently, there is a significant disconnect between power systems and electrified air transport in terms of energy users and suppliers, infrastructure and interoperability to achieve the net-zero in both industries. The electrification of aviation will create a new nexus between power systems and electrified air transport. There are several key challenges:1) The power systems will require electrified aviation to integrate into ground energy infrastructure and must not overload the future grid.2) Electrified aviation as a new energy user requires the power systems to supply large volumes of low-carbon electricity to meet new loads of electric aircraft.3) Significant charging infrastructures are required. Our feasibility study on a UK airport indicates that even if only 10% domestic flights are electrified then £50M will need to be spent on charging infrastructure.4) Significantly high costs will be incurred for building additional power generation capacity. Our initial study indicates 15 GW additional power generation capacity will be required if 45% of UK domestic flights are electrified.This proposed research will explore the fundamental integration of a new nexus between power system and electrified air transport system, named 'Aviation-to-Grid', with an ambitious aim to bridge the significant disconnect between two systems in terms of energy demand and supply, infrastructure and interoperability. This will be achieved by using the multiscale energy modelling and system integration as key research methods. A new concept of Aviation-to-Grid flexibility will be investigated as a potential solution to unlock the flexibility provisions from Aviation-to-Grid, so that infrastructure and operation costs can be reduced and co-optimised across both systems. This project, for the first time, brings power industry (National Grid ESO), airport operators (Heathrow Airport), energy infrastructure solutions (UK Power Networks Services), transport policy (Department for Transport) and the UK academic communities (Supergen, DTE Network) together in a truly interdisciplinary manner.In this project, multiscale energy modelling (WP1) and multiscale system integration (WP2) will explore a bottom-up approach across the new nexus of power systems and electrified air transport. Aviation-to-Grid flexibility provisions will be evaluated with cost-benefit analysis (WP3). Industrial application potential of Aviation-to-Grid flexibility will be demonstrated in a real-time simulation platform in the lab using representative case studies with recommendations for implementation (WP4).[1] Decarbonising transport: a better, greener Britain, Department for Transport, 14 July 2021[2] Aviation 2050 - the future of UK aviation, Department for Transport, 22 October 2019