Marita Blank

Support vector machines for an efficient representation of voltage band constraints

Future Smart Grids emphasize the (at least) partial coordination of a large number of stochastic consumers and producers to balance consumption and generation of electrical energy. However, this coordinated and often time-synchronous activation and deactivation of demand and supply may result in the violation of the grids feasibility constraints, since it may increase statistical simultaneity above the level assumed in the initial design of such networks. The detection and avoidance of such operational infeasibilities is essential for secure grid operations. In order to handle the complexity of the optimization problem at hand, autonomous software agents will play a vital role in future power management systems. The systems complexity is reduced down to several less complex sub-problems, which may then be solved in parallel, based on locally available information. In this paper we present ongoing work on the development of autonomous grid management under stability constraints imposed by the power grid.

Towards a foundation for holistic power system validation and testing

Renewable energy sources and further electrification of energy consumption are key enablers to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, but they also introduce increased complexity to the electric power system. The increased availability of automation, information and communication technology, and intelligent solutions for system operation have transformed the power system into a smart grid. To support the development process of smart grid solutions on system level they have to be tested in a holistic manner covering the multi-domain aspect of a such complex systems. This paper introduces the concept of holistic power system testing and discuss first steps towards a corresponding methodology that is being developed in the European ERIGrid research infrastructure project.

An Integrated Research Infrastructure for Validating Cyber-Physical Energy Systems

Renewables are key enablers in the plight to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cope with anthropogenic global warming. The intermittent nature and limited storage capabilities of renewables culminate in new challenges that power system operators have to deal with in order to regulate power quality and ensure security of supply. At the same time, the increased availability of advanced automation and communication technologies provides new opportunities for the derivation of intelligent solutions to tackle the challenges. Previous work has shown various new methods of operating highly interconnected power grids, and their corresponding components, in a more effective way. As a consequence of these developments, the traditional power system is being transformed into a cyber-physical energy system, a smart grid. Previous and ongoing research have tended to mainly focus on how specific aspects of smart grids can be validated, but until there exists no integrated approach for the analysis and evaluation of complex cyber-physical systems configurations. This paper introduces integrated research infrastructure that provides methods and tools for validating smart grid systems in a holistic, cyber-physical manner. The corresponding concepts are currently being developed further in the European project ERIGrid.

Distributed Power Management of Renewable Energy Resources for Grid Stabilization

To increase the share of distributed energy resources (DER), they need to provide grid supporting ancillary services. In order to fulfill large energy products, virtual power plants (VPP) aggregate many small DER. In this paper we present an agent-based approach to the optimization problem of scheduling the DER of a VPP. We compare our approach which uses a evolutionary algorithm to one that uses a mathematical solver. When comparing the two approaches we found that our approach approximates the optimal solution well. The central benefit of our approach is that it scales better wrt. the VPP size. The increased scalability opens the ancillary services market to VPPs that aggregate more and smaller DERs.

Agentenbasierte Vorhaltung und Erbringung von Primärregelleistung

Zusammenfassung Der zunehmende Ausbau regenerativer Energieumwandlungsanlagen im elektrischen Energieversorgungssystem führt zu einer Verringerung der residualen Last und damit zu einer Verdrängung konventioneller Großkraftwerke. Neben der Aufgabe, Leistung im Lastfolgebetrieb auf Basis von Fahrplänen bereitzustellen, übernehmen diese Kraftwerke bislang die kritische Aufgabe der Frequenz- und Spannungsregelung im Stromnetz. Bei einem Ersatz der Kraftwerke durch dezentrale dargebotsabhängige Erzeugungsanlagen müssen diese in der Lage sein, die Frequenz- und Spannungsregelung zu übernehmen. In diesem Beitrag wird ein Verfahren vorgestellt, mit denen sich Verbünde solcher Anlagen zur zuverlässigen Bereitstellung von Primärregelleistung heranziehen lassen.