Göran Andersson

Spyros Chatzivasileiadis, Damien Ernst, Göran Andersson

This paper puts forward the vision that a natural future stage of the electricity network could be a grid spanning the whole planet and connecting most of the large power plants in the world: this is the "Global Grid". The main driving force behind the Global Grid will be the harvesting of remote renewable sources, and its key infrastructure element will be the high capacity long transmission lines. Wind farms and solar power plants will supply load centers with green power over long distances. This paper focuses on the introduction of the concept, showing that a globally interconnected network can be technologically feasible and economically competitive. We further highlight the multiple opportunities emerging from a global electricity network such as smoothing the renewable energy supply and electricity demand, reducing the need for bulk storage, and reducing the volatility of the energy prices. We also discuss possible investment mechanisms and operating schemes. Among others, we envision in such a system a global power market and the establishment of two new coordinating bodies, the "Global Regulator" and the "Global System Operator".

Philipp Fortenbacher, Johanna L. Mathieu, Göran Andersson

Due to high power in-feed from photovoltaics, it can be expected that more battery systems will be installed in the distribution grid in near future to mitigate voltage violations and thermal line and transformer overloading. In this paper, we present a two-stage centralized model predictive control scheme for distributed battery storage that consists of a scheduling entity and a real-time control entity. To guarantee secure grid operation, we solve a robust multi-period optimal power flow (OPF) for the scheduling stage that minimizes battery degradation and maximizes photovoltaic utilization subject to grid constraints. The real-time controller solves a real-time OPF taking into account storage allocation profiles from the scheduler, a detailed battery model, and real-time measurements. To reduce the computational complexity of the controllers, we present a linearized OPF that approximates the nonlinear AC-OPF into a linear programming problem. Through a case study, we show, for two different battery technologies, that we can substantially reduce battery degradation when we incorporate a battery degradation model. A further finding is that we can reduce battery losses by 30% by using the detailed battery model in the real-time control stage.

Evangelos Vrettos, Charalampos Ziras, Göran Andersson

Due to increasing shares of renewable energy sources, more frequency reserves are required to maintain power system stability. In this paper, we present a decentralized control scheme that allows a large aggregation of refrigerators to provide Primary Frequency Control (PFC) reserves to the grid based on local frequency measurements and without communication. The control is based on stochastic switching of refrigerators depending on the frequency deviation. We develop methods to account for typical lockout constraints of compressors and increased power consumption during the startup phase. In addition, we propose a procedure to dynamically reset the thermostat temperature limits in order to provide reliable PFC reserves, as well as a corrective temperature feedback loop to build robustness to biased frequency deviations. Furthermore, we introduce an additional randomization layer in the controller to account for thermostat resolution limitations, and finally, we modify the control design to account for refrigerator door openings. Extensive simulations with actual frequency signal data and with different aggregation sizes, load characteristics, and control parameters, demonstrate that the proposed controller outperforms a relevant state-of-the-art controller.

Philipp Fortenbacher, Martin Zellner, Göran Andersson

This paper proposes a novel algorithm to optimally size and place storage in low voltage (LV) networks based on a linearized multiperiod optimal power flow method which we call forward backward sweep optimal power flow (FBS-OPF). We show that this method has good convergence properties, its solution deviates slightly from the optimum and makes the storage sizing and placement problem tractable for longer investment horizons. We demonstrate the usefulness of our method by assessing the economic viability of distributed and centralized storage in LV grids with a high photovoltaic penetration (PV). As a main result, we quantify that for the CIGRE LV test grid distributed storage configurations are preferable, since they allow for less PV curtailment due to grid constraints.

Reza Arghandeh, Martin Gahr, Alexandra von Meier et al.

Network topology in distribution networks is often unknown, because most switches are not equipped with measurement devices and communication links. However, knowledge about the actual topology is critical for safe and reliable grid operation. This paper proposes a voting-based topology detection method based on micro-synchrophasor measurements. The minimal difference between measured and calculated voltage angle or voltage magnitude, respectively, indicates the actual topology. Micro-synchrophasors or micro-Phasor Measurement Units (μPMU) are high-precision devices that can measure voltage angle differences on the order of ten millidegrees. This accuracy is important for distribution networks due to the smaller angle differences as compared to transmission networks. For this paper, a microgrid test bed is implemented in MATLAB with simulated measurements from μPMUs as well as SCADA measurement devices. The results show that topologies can be detected with high accuracy. Additionally, topology detection by voltage angle shows better results than detection by voltage magnitude.

Matthias Bucher, Spyros Chatzivasileiadis, Göran Andersson

In this paper we present a framework to efficiently characterize the available operational flexibility in a multi-area power system. We focus on the available reserves and the tie-line flows. The proposed approach is an alternative to the current calculation of the Available Transfer Capacity (ATC), as it considers location and availability of reserves, transmission constraints, and interdependencies of tie-line flows between different areas, while it takes into account the N-1 security criterion. The method is based on computational geometry using polytopic projections. It requires only a limited amount of information exchange and does not need central coordination. The method has two versions: a passive and an active approach, where neighboring areas can share reserves. In that respect we also introduce the term "exported flexibility", which could form the basis for a new trading product in electricity markets. Case studies demonstrate the improved tie-line utilization, especially if reserves are shared, and the visualization benefits.

Xiangkun Li, Theodor Borsche, Göran Andersson

Increased distributed Photo-Voltaic (PV) generation leads to an increase in voltages and unwarranted backflows into the grid. This paper investigates Demand Response (DR) with Electric Water Heaters (EWHs) as a way to increase the PV hosting capacity of a low-voltage feeder. A control strategy relying only on power measurements at the transformer is proposed. Flexible loads are optimally dispatched considering energy acquisition costs, a PV shedding penalty, and power and energy constraints. Furthermore, grouping of loads and PV plants is investigated, and switching penalties are used to reduce the unnecessary switching of loads. It is shown that this strategy can substantially increase the PV hosting capacity of a Low-Voltage (LV) feeder, even when only basic controllability is available.

Philipp Fortenbacher, Göran Andersson

This paper presents a novel method to describe battery degradation. We use the concept of degradation maps to model the incremental charge capacity loss as a function of discrete battery control actions and state of charge. The maps can be scaled to represent any battery system in size and power. Their convex piece-wise affine representations allow for tractable optimal control formulations and can be used in power system simulations to incorporate battery degradation. The map parameters for different battery technologies are published making them an useful basis to benchmark different battery technologies in case studies.

Line Roald, Sidhant Misra, Michael Chertkov et al.

Over the past years, the share of electricity production from wind power plants has increased to significant levels in several power systems across Europe and the United States. In order to cope with the fluctuating and partially unpredictable nature of renewable energy sources, transmission system operators (TSOs) have responded by increasing their reserve capacity requirements and by requiring wind power plants to be capable of providing reserves or following active power set-point signals. This paper addresses the issue of efficiently incorporating these new types of wind power control in the day-ahead operational planning. We review the technical requirements the wind power plants must fulfill, and propose a mathematical framework for modeling wind power control. The framework is based on an optimal power flow formulation with weighted chance constraints, which accounts for the uncertainty of wind power forecasts and allows us to limit the risk of constraint violations. In a case study based on the IEEE 118 bus system, we use the developed method to assess the effectiveness of different types of wind power control in terms of operational cost, system security and wind power curtailment.

Philipp Fortenbacher, Andreas Ulbig, Göran Andersson

In this paper we present a novel methodology for leveraging Receding Horizon Control (RHC), also known as Model Predictive Control (MPC) strategies for distributed battery storage in a planning problem using a Benders decomposition technique. Longer prediction horizons lead to better storage placement strategies but also higher computational complexity that can quickly become computationally prohibitive. The here proposed MPC strategy in conjunction with a Benders decomposition technique effectively reduces the computational complexity to a manageable level. We use the CIGRE low voltage (LV) benchmark grid as a case study for solving an optimal placement and sizing problem for different control strategies with different MPC prediction horizons. The objective of the MPC strategy is to maximize the photovoltaic (PV) utilization and minimize battery degradation in a local residential area, while satisfying all grid constraints. For this case study we show that the economic value of battery storage is higher when using MPC based storage control strategies than when using heuristic storage control strategies, because MPC strategies explicitly exploit the value of forecast information. The economic merit of this approach can be further increased by explicitly incorporating a battery degradation model in the MPC strategy.

Spyros Chatzivasileiadis, Göran Andersson

This paper puts forward the vision of fully decoupling market operations from security considerations through controllable power flows. In "A Fully Controllable Power System", power system security is no longer dependent on the location of the power injection points. In the ideal case, this leads to the elimination of redispatching costs, which amount to several million dollars per year in large systems. This paper determines the upper and lower bounds for the number of controllable lines and number of controllers to achieve this decoupling in any system. It further introduces the notion of the controllability vector CV, which expresses the effect of any controller on the AC line flows. Based on two alternative definitions for controllability, two controller placement algorithms to maximize controllability are presented and their results are compared.

Evangelos Vrettos, Frauke Oldewurtel, Göran Andersson

It has been shown that the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems of commercial buildings can offer ancillary services to power systems without loss of comfort. In this paper, we propose a new control framework for reliable scheduling and provision of frequency reserves by aggregations of commercial buildings. The framework incorporates energy-constrained frequency signals, which are adopted by several transmission system operators for loads and storage devices. We use a hierarchical approach with three levels: (i) reserve capacities are allocated among buildings (e.g., on a daily basis) using techniques from robust optimization, (ii) a robust model predictive controller optimizes the HVAC system consumption typically every 30 minutes, and (iii) a feedback controller adjusts the consumption to provide reserves in real time. We demonstrate how the framework can be used to estimate the reserve capacities in simulations with typical Swiss office buildings and different reserve product characteristics. Our results show that an aggregation of approximately 100 buildings suffices to meet the 5 MW minimum bid size of the Swiss reserve market.

Line Roald, Sidhant Misra, Michael Chertkov et al.

Due to the increasing amount of electricity generated from renewable sources, uncertainty in power system operation will grow. This has implications for tools such as Optimal Power Flow (OPF), an optimization problem widely used in power system operations and planning, which should be adjusted to account for this uncertainty. One way to handle the uncertainty is to formulate a Chance Constrained OPF (CC-OPF) which limits the probability of constraint violation to a predefined value. However, existing CC-OPF formulations and solutions are not immune to drawbacks. On one hand, they only consider affine policies for generation control, which are not always realistic and may be sub-optimal. On the other hand, the standard CC-OPF formulations do not distinguish between large and small violations, although those might carry significantly different risk. In this paper, we introduce the Weighted CC-OPF (WCC-OPF) that can handle general control policies while preserving convexity and allowing for efficient computation. The weighted chance constraints account for the size of violations through a weighting function, which assigns a higher risk to a higher overloads. We prove that the problem remains convex for any convex weighting function, and for very general generation control policies. In a case study, we compare the performance of the new WCC-OPF and the standard CC-OPF and demonstrate that WCC-OPF effectively reduces the number of severe overloads. Furthermore, we compare an affine generation control policy with a more general policy, and show that the additional flexibility allow for a lower cost while maintaining the same level of risk.