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- Conventional Hydro
Power Systems with High Renewable Energy Sources: A Review of Inertia and Frequency Control Strategies Over Time
Lead Companies
NREL
Lead Researcher (s)
- Ed Muljadi
Traditionally, inertia in power systems has been determined by considering all the rotating masses directly connected to the grid. During the last decade, the integration of renewable energy sources, mainly photovoltaic installations and wind power plants, has led to a significant dynamic characteristic change in power systems. This change is mainly due to the fact that most renewables have power electronics at the grid interface. The overall impact on stability and reliability analysis of power systems is very significant. The power systems become more dynamic and require a new set of strategies modifying traditional generation control algorithms. Indeed, renewable generation units are decoupled from the grid by electronic converters, decreasing the overall inertia of the grid. ‘Hidden inertia’, ‘synthetic inertia’ or ‘virtual inertia’ are terms currently used to represent artificial inertia created by converter control of the renewable sources. Alternative spinning reserves are then needed in the new power system with high penetration renewables, where the lack of rotating masses directly connected to the grid must be emulated to maintain an acceptable power system reliability. This paper reviews the inertia concept in terms of values and their evolution in the last decades, as well as the damping factor values. A comparison of the rotational grid inertia for traditional and current averaged generation mix scenarios is also carried out. In addition, an extensive discussion on wind and photovoltaic power plants and their contributions to inertia in terms of frequency control strategies is included in the paper.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Research Sub-Category
Markets
Status
complete
Completion Date
2018
- Pumped Storage
PSH Portfolio Evaluation and Innovation Study [HydroWIRES]
Lead Companies
ANL
Lead Researcher (s)
- Vladimir Koritarov, koritarov@anl.gov
PSH, with a total of 22 GW of installed capacity in the United States, represent over 95% of the domestic electric energy storage available today. However, no large PSH projects have been commissioned in the last 20 years due to challenges associated with the magnitude of project costs and financing interest during development and construction; the length of time from project investment until project revenue; permitting challenges and construction risks; competition from other storage technologies; and unrecognized energy storage valuation. To address these challenges, research and development efforts have focused on radically new designs and technologies that can dramatically reduce costs and commissioning timelines. In this study, Argonne National Laboratory will perform a landscape analysis to establish the current state of the art of PSH technology, identify promising new concepts and innovations, and highlight technology gaps that have yet to be addressed. Technology Application
Pumped Storage
Research Category
Interconnect Integration and Markets
Research Sub-Category
Markets
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Pumped Storage
Pumped Storage Hydro Operations and Benefits in the United States: Review and Case-Studies
Lead Companies
EPRI
Lead Researcher (s)
- Joe Stekli
In recent years, there has been growing interest in how ongoing changes to the electric power resource mix, wholesale markets, and utility operations will affect valuation of existing pumped storage hydro (PSH) plants as well as create opportunities for expansion or repowering of those plants, and construction of new PSH plants. This study conducts comparative case studies of recent and future economic benefits—and any other benefits—of three large existing PSH plants: the New York Power Authority’s (NYPA) Blenheim-Gilboa plant located in New York, and Duke Energy Carolina’s Bad Creek and Jocassee plants, both located in South Carolina. The objective is to examine the policy, market, and utility operating environment for these plants in detail, and to gather both public and certain non-public utility data on recent historical performance and forecasts of future operations. The framework shown here can then be further developed and applied to other existing PSH plants as a basis for improved communication and analysis regarding these plants’ historical and future economic costs and benefits.
Technology Application
Pumped Storage
Research Category
Interconnect Integration and Markets
Research Sub-Category
Markets
Status
complete
Completion Date
2020
- Pumped Storage
Transforming the U.S. Market with a New Application of Ternary-Type Pumped Storage Hydropower Technology [HydroWIRES]
Lead Companies
NREL
Lead Researcher (s)
- Greg Stark, greg.stark@nrel.gov
The U.S. electrical grid is seeing a huge increase in new renewable energy (RE) generation and, at the same time, a huge amount of thermal generation retirements. This dynamic is changing the traditional operation of the grid and is placing a premium on assets that can provide fast-ramping flexible capacity. Addressing this need, the study’s goals were to assess & quantify how innovative, fast-acting advanced PSH systems can economically solve these grid integration challenges during future high RE contribution scenarios. Project focused on ternary PSH (T-PSH) and quaternary PSH (Q-PSH), coupling them with sophisticated transmission monitoring/control equipment (i.e., dynamic transmission) as a proposed solution.
Technology Application
Pumped Storage
Research Category
Interconnect Integration and Markets
Research Sub-Category
Markets
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Pumped Storage
Valuation Guidance and Techno-Economic Studies for Pumped Storage Hydropower [HydroWIRES]
Lead Companies
ANL
Lead Researcher (s)
- Vladimir Koritarov, koritarov@anl.gov
The objective of this project is to advance state of the art in the assessment of value of PSH plants and their role in the power system. The goal is to develop a detailed step-by-step valuation guidance and apply it to two competitively selected PSH sites to test the valuation methodology and assist the developers in understanding the value streams available from their projects. The project outcomes are: • Develop a comprehensive, repeatable, and transparent valuation guidance that will allow for consistent valuation assessments and comparisons of potential new PSH projects or project design alternatives • Test the PSH valuation guidance and its underlying methodology by applying it to two selected PSH projects • Transfer and disseminate the PSH valuation guidance to the hydropower industry, PSH developers, and other stakeholders Technology Application
Pumped Storage
Research Category
Interconnect Integration and Markets
Research Sub-Category
Markets
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Conventional Hydro
Value Drivers [HydroWIRES]
Lead Companies
ANL
Lead Researcher (s)
- Todd Levin, tlevin@anl.gov
The US power system has undergone a number of changes over the past decade driven in part by increasing penetrations of variable renewable energy, distributed energy resources and grid-scale battery storage, as well as increasing consumer participation and shifting load profiles to name a few. These changes are anticipated to continue in the coming decade and beyond, likely accompanied by others—technological, socio-political, and market-oriented—that may substantially change the operational requirements of the power grid. The varying degrees to which these changes manifest will drive changes in the value that hydropower resources can provide to power systems. Many hydropower resources have technical capabilities to provide a range of grid services that have traditionally been largely untapped due to either low system requirements for these services, or a lack of clear price signals for the value that they provide to the grid. We will establish a framework for quantifying the system value generated by conventional hydropower and PSH through the provision of grid services, as well the system factors that may augment these value streams in the future as power systems continue to evolve. The outcomes of this work will help stakeholders make prudent decisions regarding changes in operating practices and directing capital investments to improve resources' abilities to provide various grid services. Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Interconnect Integration and Markets
Research Sub-Category
Markets
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Conventional Hydro
Value of flow forecasts to power system analytics
Lead Companies
PNNL
Lead Researcher (s)
- Nathalie Voisin
This project will use inflow forecast, reservoir and power system model simulations, and case studies to practically demonstrate where forecast improvements would create the most value for hydropower services. This research will benefit utilities and other hydropower operators who utilize flow forecasting to support water management and electricity production; it will also support DOE in targeting future investments related to forecasting that will benefit these groups.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Interconnect Integration and Markets
Research Sub-Category
Markets
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
Don’t see your waterpower research?
Have questions about WaRP?
Contact Marla Barnes at: marla@hydro.org