Centralized flexibility services for distribution system operators through distributed flexible resources

Under the context of smart grids within smart cities, increasing distributed generation, consumer empowerment and emerging flexibility services, distribution system operators could benefit by activating flexibility in distribution grids to avoid deploying new infrastructures and grid overloading. The solution offered by this work is an energy management system algorithm capable of activating flexibility behind the prosumer main meter during constrained periods. Therefore, the distribution system operator could compensate grid congestion during high consumption or production periods and increase their renewable generation hosting capacity by using behind-the-meter flexibility during peak production periods.Postprint (published version

Deterministic and Probabilistic Assessment of the Impact of the Electrical Vehicles on the Power Grid

This paper analyzes the impact of the charge of EVs(Electrical Vehicles) on a power grid. In order to simulate the behavior of the EV charging on the grid a model of its battery has been found (EV’s charging curve). As the way of the EV is charged from the grid affects critically to the voltage levels and to the saturation of the lines two modalities of charge are presented: not-controlled charge and controlled charge. Finally,the simulations have been performed from two points of view:deterministic analysis and probabilistic analysis.Postprint (published version

Local flexibility market design for aggregators providing multiple flexibility services at distribution network level

This paper presents a general description of local flexibility markets as a market-based management mechanism for aggregators. The high penetration of distributed energy resources introduces new flexibility services like prosumer or community self-balancing, congestion management and time-of-use optimization. This work is focused on the flexibility framework to enable multiple participants to compete for selling or buying flexibility. In this framework, the aggregator acts as a local market operator and supervises flexibility transactions of the local energy community. Local market participation is voluntary. Potential flexibility stakeholders are the distribution system operator, the balance responsible party and end-users themselves. Flexibility is sold by means of loads, generators, storage units and electric vehicles. Finally, this paper presents needed interactions between all local market stakeholders, the corresponding inputs and outputs of local market operation algorithms from participants and a case study to highlight the application of the local flexibility market in three scenarios. The local market framework could postpone grid upgrades, reduce energy costs and increase distribution grids’ hosting capacity.Postprint (published version

Methodology for the evaluation of resilience of ICT systems for smart distribution grids

Ensuring resilient operation and control of smart grids is fundamental for empowering their deployment, but challenging at the same time. Accordingly, this study proposes a novel methodology for evaluating resilience of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems for smart distribution grids. Analysing how the system behaves under changing operating conditions a power system perspective allows to understand how resilient the smart distribution grid is, but the resilience of the ICT system in charge of its operation affects the overall performance of the system and does, therefore, condition its resilience. With the aim of systematising the evaluation of ICT systems’ resilience, this study proposes to combine a standardized modelling of Smart Grids, the Smart Grid Architecture Model (SGAM), with a data structured diagram, the Entity Relationship Model (ERM). The architecture of smart distribution grids is analysed through SGAM. Then, their technical characteristics and functionalities are defined and represented in a ERM diagram. Finally, the attributes or properties of the system components are used to formulate resilience indicators against different types of disturbances. This methodology is then applied to analyse the resilience of a ICT platform being developed in EMPOWER H2020 project.Postprint (published version

Architecture definition and operation testing of local electricity markets. The EMPOWER project

Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Centralised and distributed optimization for aggregated flexibility services provision

© 2020 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting /republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other worksThe recent deployment of distributed battery units in prosumer premises offer new opportunities for providing aggregated flexibility services to both distribution system operators and balance responsible parties. The optimization problem presented in this paper is formulated with an objective of cost minimization which includes energy and battery degradation cost to provide flexibility services. A decomposed solution approach with the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) is used instead of commonly adopted centralised optimization to reduce the computational burden and time, and then reduce scalability limitations. In this work we apply a modified version of ADMM that includes two new features with respect to the original algorithm: first, the primal variables are updated concurrently, which reduces significantly the computational cost when we have a large number of involved prosumers; second, it includes a regularization term named Proximal Jacobian (PJ) that ensures the stability of the solution. A case study is presented for optimal battery operation of 100 prosumer sites with real-life data. The proposed method finds a solution which is equivalent to the centralised optimization problem and is computed between 5 and 12 times faster. Thus, aggregators or large-scale energy communities can use this scalable algorithm to provide flexibility services.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Disseny i realització d'una plataforma docent d'accionaments elèctrics i convertidors: aplicació al motor brushless DC

En els últims anys, la tecnologia del control digital de motors elèctrics i convertidors estàtics ha vist augmentada de forma considerable la seva importància tant en aplicacions industrials com domèstiques. Per altra banda, el ràpid desenvolupament tecnològic en aquest camp, i la falta de material docent en aquesta matèria, fa necessària la incorporació de noves eines que facilitin la docència d’aquesta nova tecnologia. En la primera part d’aquest projecte es pretén desenvolupar una plataforma que incorpori l’última tecnologia i que permeti la formació en el camp del control de motors i convertidors estàtics utilitzant un processador digital de senyals (DSP). En aquest capítol es descriu la plataforma docent i cadascun dels blocs que la composen. El DSP utilitzat és el TMS320F2812, un dels últims models que ha desenvolupat la companyia Texas Instruments. Per altra banda, s’ha hagut de dissenyar una nova placa, la CDM2480, que incorpora principalment la part de potència i la lectura de mesures, ja que aquests components no es troben en el mercat en aplicacions per a material docent. En una segon part del projecte, i un cop desenvolupada la plataforma de treball que permetrà l’aprenentatge de les tècniques de control digital de motors, s’ha realitzat el control d’un motor de contínua sense escombretes (BLDC) utilitzant aquesta plataforma. Aquest control permetrà que en un futur es pugui utilitzar com a base per la realització d’unes pràctiques sobre el control d’aquest tipus de motors. Es descriuen els passos necessaris per arribar a realitzar el control d’aquest motor, com són el modelat del motor, la tipologia del control que es pretén realitzar, i finalment, l’implementació d’aquest control al DSP. S’implementen varis controls, un control en llaç obert, un control de parell i un control de velocitat, per finalment obtenir un control de velocitat tancant els llaços de corrent i de velocitat. També s’inclouran els resultats obtinguts en la posta en marxa d’aquest control a la plataforma anteriorment descrita. El resultat final d’aquest projecte és doncs una plataforma que inclou tots els elements necessaris per facilitar l’ensenyament en un camp de tanta importància com és el control digital de motors i convertidors estàtics. Aquesta plataforma es complementa amb el control d’un motor BLDC per tal de mostrar la versatilitat de l’eina desenvolupada

Creació d'un sistema de formació acadèmica a l'àrea de qualitat d'energia

Postprint (published version

La gestión del agua y la nueva Ley de Aguas

La intención de este artículo, al contrario de lo que se esperaría en estos días, no es el de realizar una crítica a los borradores de la nueva “Ley Orgánica de Recursos Hídricos, Uso y Aprovechamiento de las Aguas” o al Nuevo Código Ambiental propuesto, es más bien la de sensibilizar y alertar a quienes estamos involucrados con la gestión de los recursos hídricos, es un llamado a trabajar, de manera corresponsable, en la construcción de una nueva Ley de Aguas que tenga como base la Constitución, la participación, la técnica, lo público, lo privado, en definitiva, pensar en el bien colectivo y en el futuro de nuestros hijos