Joseph Piacenza

DECISION MAKING FOR THE COLLABORATIVE ENERGY SUPPLY SYSTEM OF OREGON AND WASHINGTON

As demand for electricity in the United States continues to increase, it is necessary to explore the means through which the modern power supply system can accommodate both increasing affluence (which is accompanied by increased per-capita consumption) and the continually growing global population. Though there has been a great deal of research into the theoretical optimization of large-scale power systems, research into the use of an existing power system as a foundation for this growth has yet to be fully explored. Current successful and robust power generation systems that have significant renewable energy penetration — despite not having been optimized a priori — can be used to inform the advancement of modern power systems to accommodate the increasing demand for electricity. Leveraging ongoing research projects at Oregon State University and the National Energy Technology Laboratory, this work explores how an accurate and state-of-the-art computational model of the Oregon/Washington (OR/WA) energy system can be employed as part of an overarching power systems optimization scheme that looks to inform the decision making process for next generation power supply systems. Research scenarios that explore an introductory multi-objective power flow analysis for the OR/WA grid will be shown, along with a discussion of future research directions.Copyright

Robust Topology Design of Complex Infrastructure Systems

Optimizing the topology of complex infrastructure systems can minimize the impact of cascading failures due to an initiating failure event. This paper presents a novel approach for the concept-stage design of complex infrastructure systems by integrating model-based design with network analysis to increase system robustness. This approach focuses on system performance after cascading has occurred, and examines design trade-offs of the resultant (or degraded) system state. In this research, robustness is defined as the invariability of system performance due to uncertain failure events. Where a robust network has the ability to meet minimum performance requirements despite the impact of cascading failures. This research is motivated by catastrophic complex infrastructure system failures such as the August 13th Blackout of 2003, highlighting the vulnerability of systems such as the North American Power Grid (NAPG). A mathematical model was developed using an adjacency matrix, where removing a network connection simulates uncertain failure events. Performance degradation is iteratively calculated as failures cascade throughout the system, and robustness is measured by the lack of performance variability over multiple cascading failure scenarios. Two case studies are provided: an extrapolated IEEE 14 test bus, and the Oregon State University campus power network. The overarching goal of this research is to understand key system design trade-offs between robustness, performance objectives, and cost. In addition, optimizing network topologies to mitigate performance loss during concept-stage design will enable system robustness.Copyright