Electric Power Engineers (EPE) Models Complex Hybrid Solar and Energy Storage Power Plant In Order To Better Represent Operational Behavior
Austin, Texas, January 13, 2020 – EPE announced today that it has developed a methodology to better model installations of complex hybrid generating resources that more closely approximate their operational behavior. Specifically, EPE has created a model to simulate and evaluate the performance of battery energy storage systems working in conjunction with a solar photovoltaic generation facility (with each asset in this instance owned and operated by separate entities). As the number of renewable energy and battery storage resources increases across North America’s utility grids, the ability to model and coordinate the behavior of these various assets will become increasingly more critical to the maintaining the overall reliability of the power system.
Methodology employed
EPE initially constructed a model for the hardware elements of the battery system in Power System Simulator for Engineering (PSSE) and Power System CAD (PSCAD) as well as a separate model for the operation of the controller. The modeling exercise included varying parameters of the feeder to the battery system, the inverter transformers, and the actual inverters themselves. In order to account for their different functionalities, the relevant parameters were integrated into the model differently for the PSSE and PSCAD environments. A controller model was also integrated with the hardware model for the storage system on both PSSE and PSCAD.
The battery energy storage unit was tied to a solar array, and EPE developed a model to more accurately reflect interactions between the two assets. This involved adding the existing model of the solar asset to that of the storage model, as well as subsequent revisions to better approximate the actual behavior of the solar resource during testing.
A performance study was then developed to model the combined assets within the context of local applicable regulations. The study consisted of analyzing the model’s response to various step commands for parameters such as power, voltage, and angle, as well as system disturbances including multiple voltage scenarios and frequency ride through.
Study results and conclusions:
With this undertaking, EPE was able to develop detailed plant models in PSSE and PSCAD for both a battery energy storage system as a stand-alone asset and combined with a solar array owned by a different entity. Each approach consisted of a generator control model, a generator hardware model, and a power plant controller that included four functions: voltage control, reactive power control, active power control and frequency control, all at the point of interconnection (POI). The two models were benchmarked against local requirements and allowed for operations of the physical assets, with resulting satisfactory performance. In addition, the models facilitated simulation of electrical failures at the point of interconnection, as well as low voltage ride-through and frequency protection tests.
Implications:
With the rapidly growing number of renewable and battery energy storage assets proliferating across the utility landscape, improved modeling approaches will be required to better predict outcomes across a variety of conditions. EPE’s modeling efforts demonstrate the value that can be made available to grid planners in order to better manage, coordinate, and optimize the behavior of this growing population of non-conventional energy resources.
About Electric Power Engineers
Electric Power Engineers, Inc. (EPE) is a leading power engineering consulting firm. EPE offers unparalleled expertise in power system planning, design, and grid integration in the United States and international markets. Our experience and services cover the entire spectrum of GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, and DISTRIBUTION and are provided to developers, generation owners, transmission service providers, municipalities, electric cooperatives, and various government entities.
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