Ancillary Services from Smart Thermostatic Loads in Power Grids

ended

The penetration of renewable sources of energy in power networks is expected to grow over the next years, motivated by environmental concerns. However, renewable generation is in general intermittent and a large penetration may cause frequent generation-demand imbalances that may compromise power quality and even result in blackouts. Demand side participation can offer a solution to this problem, due to loads ability to provide a fast response when required. However, a large portion of the total demand corresponds to thermostatic loads (TLs), which are characterized by a cyclic thermostatic behavior. Such effects need to be taken into account in the design of control schemes for TLs, if those are to provide support to the power grid. The primary technical research objective of this project is the design of control schemes for TLs such those provide effective, efficient and reliable ancillary support to the power network. In particular, the major research objectives of the project are to: (a) Enable TLs to provide ancillary support to existing frequency control mechanisms, ensuring that those switch when there is an urgency. (b) Obtain an optimal power allocation between TLs with minimum user disruption. (c) Provide analytic stability guarantees for power networks when the proposed TL control designs are implemented. (d) Enable further research on TLs, by providing analytic models that characterize their aggregate behavior. (e) Validate the proposed control designs with realistic numerical and hardware in the loop simulations. The main career objectives are to: (a) Strengthen the research skills of the fellow with training on advanced simulation tools, power systems analysis and control theory. (b) Enable the transfer of knowledge between the fellow, the scientific community and the industry. (c) Enrich the transferable skills of the researcher with training on presenting to wide audiences, writing research grant proposals and managing intellectual property.