The Next-Generation Retail Electricity Market in the Context of Distributed Energy Resources: Vision and Integrating Framework

The increasing adoption of distributed energy resources (DERs) and smart grid technologies (SGTs) by end-user retail customers is changing significantly both technical and economic operations in the distribution grid. The next-generation retail electricity market will promote decentralization, efficiency, and competitiveness by accommodating existing and new agents through new business models and transactive approaches in an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). However, these changes will bring several technical challenges to be addressed in transmission and distribution systems. Considerable activities have been carried out worldwide to study the impacts of integrating DERs into the grid and in the wholesale electricity market. However, the big vision and framework of the next-generation retail market in the context of DERs is still unclear. This paper aims to present a brief review of the present retail electricity market, some recent developments, and a comprehensive vision of the next-generation retail electricity market by describing its expected characteristics, challenges, needs, and future research topics to be addressed. A framework of integrating retail and wholesale electricity markets is also presented and discussed. The proposed vision and framework particularly highlight the necessity of new business models and regulatory initiatives to establish decentralized markets for DERs at the retail level as well as advances in technology and infrastructure necessary to allow the widespread use of DERs in active and effective ways

Open-Source, Open-Architecture SoftwarePlatform for Plug-InElectric Vehicle SmartCharging in California

This interdisciplinary eXtensible Building Operating System–Vehicles project focuses on controlling plug-in electric vehicle charging at residential and small commercial settings using a novel and flexible open-source, open-architecture charge communication and control platform. The platform provides smart charging functionalities and benefits to the utility, homes, and businesses.This project investigates four important areas of vehicle-grid integration research, integrating technical as well as social and behavioral dimensions: smart charging user needs assessment, advanced load control platform development and testing, smart charging impacts, benefits to the power grid, and smart charging ratepayer benefits

Decentralized operation and control of integrated transactive and physical grids

The objective of this research is to develop a decentralized grid architecture to manage the physical and transactive aspects of power systems. With exponentially decreasing prices of PV the adoption of volatile and non-dispatchable sources into the grid has increased. This has two key impacts. Physical phenomenon like congestion of power flow corridors and voltage volatility become more prevalent. Similarly, with increasing prosumers, a multi-agent system is created, with each asset owner wanting to transact power. Existing transactive and physical control solutions are centralized, rely on low-latency communications, often require detailed knowledge of network topologies and are often highly coupled. The proposed research showcases fast localized grid control solutions in the form of hybrid transformers to manage physical phenomenon like congestion and voltage volatility. Furthermore, a decentralized, communication-free and topology-agnostic real-time pricing mechanism is proposed to enable collective stabilization even under wide variations in available generation. Thus, an architecture is presented where the transactive and physical grid constraints are handled in a decoupled fashion while being integrated through the physics of the network.Ph.D

Transitioning power distribution grid into nanostructured ecosystem : prosumer-centric sovereignty

PhD ThesisGrowing acceptance for in-house Distributed Energy Resource (DER) installations at lowvoltage level have gained much significance in recent years due to electricity market liberalisations and opportunities in reduced energy billings through personalised utilisation management for targeted business model. In consequence, modelling of passive customers’ electric power system are progressively transitioned into Prosumer-based settings where presidency for Transactive Energy (TE) system framework is favoured. It amplifies Prosumers’ commitments into annexing TE values during market participations and optimised energy management to earn larger rebates and incentives from TE programs. However, when dealing with mass Behind-The-Meter DER administrations, Utility foresee managerial challenges when dealing with distribution network analysis, planning, protection, and power quality security based on Prosumers’ flexibility in optimising their energy needs. This dissertation contributes prepositions into modelling Distributed Energy Resources Management System (DERMS) as an aggregator designed for Prosumer-centered cooperation, interoperating TE control and coordination as key parameters to market for both optimised energy trading and ancillary services in a Community setting. However, Prosumers are primarily driven to create a profitable business model when modelling their DERMS aggregator. Greedy-optimisation exploitations are negative concerns when decisions made resulted in detrimental-uncoordinated outcomes on Demand-Side Response (DSR) and capacity market engagements. This calls for policy decision makers to contract safe (i.e. cooperative yet competitive tendency) business models for Prosumers to maximise TE values while enhancing network’s power quality metrics and reliability performances. Firstly, digitalisation and nanostructuring of distribution network is suggested to identify Prosumer as a sole energy citizen while extending bilateral trading between Prosumer-to- Prosumer (PtP) with the involvements of other grid operators−TE system. Modelling of Nanogrid environment for DER integrations and establishment of local area network infrastructure for IoT security (i.e. personal computing solutions and data protection) are committed for communal engagements in a decentralise setting. Secondly, a multi-layered Distributed Control Framework (DCF) is proposed using Microsoft Azure cloud-edge platform that cascades energy actors into respective layers of TE control and coordination. Furthermore, modelling of flexi-edge computing architecture is proposed, comprising of Contract-Oriented Sensor-based Application Platform (COSAP) employing Multi-Agent System (MAS) to enhance data-sharing privacy and contract coalition agreements during PtP engagements. Lastly, the Agents of MAS are programmed with cooperative yet competitive intelligences attributed to Reinforcement Learning (RL) and Neural Networks (NN) algorithms to solve multimodal socio-economical and uncertainty problems that corresponded to Prosumers’ dynamic energy priorities within the TE framework. To verify the DERMS aggregator operations, three business models were proposed (i.e. greedy-profit margin, collegial-peak demand, reserved-standalone) to analyse comparative technical/physical and economic/social dimensions. Results showed that the proposed TE-valued DERMS aggregator provides participation versatility in the electricity market that enables competitive edginess when utilising Behind-The-Meter DERs in view of Prosumer’s asset scheduling, bidding strategy, and corroborative ancillary services. Performance metrics were evaluated on both domestic and industrial NG environments against IEEE Standard 2030.7-2017 & 2030.8-2018 compliances to ensure deployment practicability. Subsequently, proposed in-house protection system for DER installation serves as an add-on monitoring service which can be incorporated into existing Advance Distribution Management System (ADMS) for Distribution Service Operator (DSO) and field engineers use, ADMS aggregator. It provides early fault detections and isolation processes from allowing fault current to propagate upstream causing cascading power quality issues across the feeder line. In addition, ADMS aggregator also serves as islanding indicator that distinguishes Nanogrid’s islanding state from unintentional or intentional operations. Therefore, a Overcurrent Current Relay (OCR) is proposed using Fuzzy Logic (FL) algorithm to detect, profile, and provide decisional isolation processes using specified OCRs. Moreover, the proposed expert knowledge in FL is programmed to detect fault crises despite insufficient fault current level contributed by DER (i.e. solar PV system) which conventional OCR fails to trigger

Data-Driven Distributed Modeling, Operation, and Control of Electric Power Distribution Systems

The power distribution system is disorderly in design and implementation, chaotic in operation, large in scale, and complex in every way possible. Therefore, modeling, operating, and controlling the distribution system is incredibly challenging. It is required to find solutions to the multitude of challenges facing the distribution grid to transition towards a just and sustainable energy future for our society. The key to addressing distribution system challenges lies in unlocking the full potential of the distribution grid. The work in this dissertation is focused on finding methods to operate the distribution system in a reliable, cost-effective, and just manner. In this PhD dissertation, a new data-driven distributed ($D^3M$) framework using cellular computational networks has been developed to model power distribution systems. Its performance is validated on an IEEE test case. The results indicate a significant enhancement in accuracy and performance compared to the state-of-the-art centralized modeling approach. This dissertation also presents a new distributed and data-driven optimization method for volt-var control in power distribution systems. The framework is validated for voltage control on an IEEE test feeder. The results indicate that the system has improved performance compared to the state-of-the-art approach. The PhD dissertation also presents a design for a real-time power distribution system testbed. A new data-in-the-loop (DIL) simulation method has been developed and integrated into the testbed. The DIL method has been used to enhance the quality of the real-time simulations. The assets combined with the testbed include data, control, and hardware-in-the-loop infrastructure. The testbed is used to validate the performance of a distribution system with significant penetration of distributed energy resources

Älykäs sähköverkko Suomessa - Muuntamoautomaatio

Smart grid is an umbrella term, which describes an electricity grid, where next generation technologies connect all stakeholders with each other, in order to operate the system as efficiently and reliably as possible. For medium voltage network, smart grid means more distribution automation. Feeder automation, which is a part of distribution automation, refers to the control and monitoring of secondary substations and disconnector stations. Biggest benefit of feeder automation is related to fault management. The Electricity Mar-ket Act (2013) and the new regulation model (2016 – 2023) are both driving forward the feasibility of feeder automation. This thesis studied the current state of the Finnish smart medium voltage network by interviewing six large distribution companies. The interviews also investigated the companies’ opinions regarding the future of smart gird technologies, and opinions towards regulations driving smart grid technologies. The biggest, but still relatively minor, concern the Finnish distribution companies had with the current regulation and legislation, was the lack of flexibility in the ‘component value list’ in the regulation model. This lack of flexibility does not encourage large-scale investments towards new technologies, if the particular component is not on the ‘list’. The most common expectations of future smart grid technologies were related to better fault detection. The increase of PV production was not seen as a major issue in the coming years. This thesis also studied the feasibility of feeder automation. The feasibility study was conducted by a case study related to the optimum automation level for a predetermined net-work topology. All the parameters for this case study, such as length of the feeders, power demand and outage restoration time, are based on technical figures published by the Energy Authority. The price of the technology is based on the new regulation model’s ‘component value list’, published by the Energy Authority. The results were calculated for different fault frequency values. The optimum automation level for 1 fault/year was 22 %.Älykäs sähköverkko on sateenvarjotermi, joka kuvaa sähköverkkoa, jossa uuden sukupolven teknologiat yhdistävät sähkömarkkinoiden kaikki sidosryhmät keskenään, mahdollistaen tehokkaamman ja luotettavamman sähköjärjestelmän. Keskijännitejakeluverkolle älykkyys tarkoittaa automaatiota. Muuntamoautomaatio, joka on osa jakeluverkon automaatiota, viittaa muuntamoiden ja erotinasemien hallintaan ja monitorointiin. Suurin hyöty muuntamoautomaatiossa syntyy vian hallinnan kautta. Sähkömarkkinalaki (2013) ja uusi Valvontamenetelmä (2016 – 2023) molemmat ajavat eteenpäin muuntamoautomaation kannattavuutta. Tämä tutkielma tutki Suomen nykyistä älykästä keskijänniteverkkoa haastattelemalla kuutta suurta jakeluverkkoyhtiötä. Haastatteluilla tutkittiin myös jakeluverkkoyhtiöiden näkemyksiä ja mielipiteitä tulevaisuuden teknologioita ja nykyistä regulaatiota kohtaan. Yleisin, vaikkakin vähäinen, verkkoyhtiöiden kehitysehdotus liittyi valvontamenetelmän verkkokomponenttilistan jäykkyyteen. Jos uutta teknologiaa ei löydy kyseiseltä listalta, ei se kannusta kyseisen teknologian massa-asennukseen. Suurimmat odotukset uusiin älykkäisiin teknologioihin liittyi vian havaitsemiseen. Paikallisen aurinkosähkön tuotannon ei nähty aiheuttavan merkittäviä haasteita jakeluverkolle lähitulevaisuudessa. Tämä tutkielman tutki myös muuntamoautomaation kannattavuutta. Kannattavuusanalyysi tehtiin tapaustutkimuksen avulla, laskemalla optimaalisen automaatiotason eri vikatiheysarvoille. Tapaustutkimuksena käytettiin ennalta määrättyä verkkotopologiaa. Kaikki jakeluverkkoon liittyvät parametrit, kuten johtolähtöjen tehot, pituudet ja vian korjausaika, ovat laskennallisia keskiarvolukuja Energiaviraston julkaisemista teknillisistä tunnusluvuista. Muuntamoautomaation hintana on käytetty Valvontamenetelmän (2016 – 2023) verkkokomponenttilistan määrittämiä hintoja. Tapaustutkimuksessa vikatiheydelle 1 vika/vuosi laskettiin optimaaliseksi automaatiotasoksi 22 %

Cyber-Physical Power System (CPPS): A Review on Modelling, Simulation, and Analysis with Cyber Security Applications

Cyber-Physical System (CPS) is a new kind of digital technology that increases its attention across academia, government, and industry sectors and covers a wide range of applications like agriculture, energy, medical, transportation, etc. The traditional power systems with physical equipment as a core element are more integrated with information and communication technology, which evolves into the Cyber-Physical Power System (CPPS). The CPPS consists of a physical system tightly integrated with cyber systems (control, computing, and communication functions) and allows the two-way flows of electricity and information for enabling smart grid technologies. Even though the digital technologies monitoring and controlling the electric power grid more efficiently and reliably, the power grid is vulnerable to cybersecurity risk and involves the complex interdependency between cyber and physical systems. Analyzing and resolving the problems in CPPS needs the modelling methods and systematic investigation of a complex interaction between cyber and physical systems. The conventional way of modelling, simulation, and analysis involves the separation of physical domain and cyber domain, which is not suitable for the modern CPPS. Therefore, an integrated framework needed to analyze the practical scenario of the unification of physical and cyber systems. A comprehensive review of different modelling, simulation, and analysis methods and different types of cyber-attacks, cybersecurity measures for modern CPPS is explored in this paper. A review of different types of cyber-attack detection and mitigation control schemes for the practical power system is presented in this paper. The status of the research in CPPS around the world and a new path for recommendations and research directions for the researchers working in the CPPS are finally presented.publishedVersio

Förderung des Aufbaus von Smart Grids in Thailand als Zusammenspiel von intelligenten Gebäuden, intelligenten Verbrauchern und einer intelligenten Energiepolitik

Smart grid technology can enhance renewable energy in the electricity system by integrating information communication technology (ICT) into the existing electricity network. Residential and commercial buildings can perform as a power plant with an energy design concept by integrating renewable energy and energy storage system. However, there has been relatively little focus on how to enhance the residential sector in smart grid development in the context of Thailand. This research focuses on residential buildings only. The technology assessment shows that energy efficiency measures (EEM) must be implemented to reduce the energy demand of the building. The Ice thermal energy storage system (ITES) is an appropriate energy storage system application that can provide cooling energy, which is the major energy consumer in residential building. The integration of EEM, the PV system, and the ITES system can reduce the primary energy demand by 87%, compared to the reference building without comprehensive energy concept design. The power quality assessment shows that the PV hosting capacity is limited up to 75%, which keeps the voltage level in the permissible range. The distributed energy storage system allows the PV prosumer to perform an active role by providing reactive power service to the system at the critical electricity feeder. The economic assessment reveals that the ITES is the most cost-effective investment option, where the battery energy storage (BES) system can become more attractive with incentive support and future cost reduction. The results from the consumer survey reveal that the willingness to pay (WTP) of the EEM and PV system in the detached single-family house is higher than the investment cost, which benefits both consumer and house developer. Technology is a key driver for providing the energy service to the energy system, while consumer behavior and acceptance can increase technology adoption. The Thai government should encourage the residential sector to become a smart user by taking technology, consumer behavior background, and essential energy policy into account.Intelligente Netztechnik, sogenannte Smart Grid-Technologie, kann durch die Einbindung von Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologie die Integration von erneuerbaren Energien in das bestehende Stromnetz verbessern. Wohn- und Gewerbegebäude können mit Hilfe eines Energiekonzepts durch die Integration von erneuerbaren Energien und Energiespeichern als Kleinkraftwerk fungieren. Allerdings gibt es in Thailand bisher wenig Analysen, wie man den Wohnungssektor für die Entwicklung intelligenter Netze nutzbar machen kann. Diese Forschungsarbeit konzentriert sich daher ausschließlich auf Wohngebäude. Die Technologiebewertung zeigt, dass Energieeffizienzmaßnahmen (EEM) umgesetzt werden müssen, um den Energiebedarf der Gebäude zu reduzieren. Ein thermischer Energiespeicher basierend auf Eis (ITES) ist eine geeignete Speicheranwendung, um Kühlenergie bereitzustellen, die der Hauptenergieverbraucher in Wohngebäuden ist. Durch die Integration von EEM, dem PV-System und dem ITES-System kann der Primärenergiebedarf um 87% reduziert werden, verglichen mit einem Referenzgebäude ohne umfassendes Energiekonzept. Die vorliegende Forschungsarbeit zeigt, dass die PV-Aufnahmekapazität auf bis zu 75% ausgeweitet werden kann, ohne dass Spannungsgrenzen verletzt werden. Der dezentrale Energiespeicher ermöglichst es zudem dem PV-Prosumer, durch Blindleistungseinsatz eine aktive Rolle im Stromsystem einzunehmen und Spannungsprobleme in kritischen Leitungssträngen zu reduzieren. Die wirtschaftliche Bewertung zeigt, dass das ITES die kostengünstigste Investitionsoption ist und das Batteriespeichersystem (BES) durch Anreize und künftige Kostensenkungen an Attraktivität gewinnen kann. Die Ergebnisse der durchgeführten Verbraucherbefragung zeigen, dass die Zahlungsbereitschaft für die EEM und das PV-System in Einfamilienhäusern höher ist als die Investitionskosten, was sowohl dem Verbraucher als auch dem Bauherrn des Hauses zugutekommt. Neue Technologien sind zentrale Elemente, um die Bereitstellung von Energiedienstleistungen im Energiesystem zu ermöglichen. Jedoch sind auch Nutzerverhalten und -akzeptanz wichtig, um die Verbreitung der Technologie zu erhöhen. Die thailändische Regierung sollte den Einsatz von Intelligenz im Wohnungssektor fördern und dabei Technologien, Verbraucherverhalten und wesentliche energiepolitische Aspekte berücksichtigen