Peak Load Shaving and Power Quality Improvement for the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine Tunnel in Montréal

Abstract

The Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine Tunnel is one of the major access points to the island of Montreal, and in conjunction with the bridge, it is the longest underwater tunnel-bridge in Canada. Recent reports estimate that around 130,000 vehicles commute through the tunnel daily. High operational standards are required to ensure the safety of commuters. Hence, high-stress levels are reflected on the electrical grid. The high tension levels on electrical power grids and the expensive price of peak power demand have prompted both the consumer and the utility to adopt Energy Storage Systems (ESS) for peak load shaving. In this thesis, a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is sized and controlled to reduce the constraints imposed on the electrical grid by the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine Tunnel by means of peak load shaving. The peak load reduction is attained through peak load shaving by utilizing a BESS, and also through energy and peak load shaving by using BESS in conjunction with Photovoltaics solar cells (PV). Also in this thesis, a control scheme is developed for Voltage Source Inverters (VSI) used in peak shaving applications. The developed control first allows the VSI to interface peak shaving systems with the grid reducing stress levels imposed on the grid, and secondly, play the role of power factor correction for reactive power compensation, and finally, to implement the capabilities of active harmonic filters and harmonic mitigation techniques to suppress the harmonic content in the line current

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