Operating renewable rich grids!! TSO's and DSO's have a tough task ahead, solution is mix of policy, regulations, technology and community involvement
Brijesh Kumar
Let's talk, I speak about technologies in electrical/ power sector that help deliver reliable, affordable and sustainable electricity | Ex Siemens | Ex Alstom | Ex Schneider | Ex Secure Meters l PEC Chandigarh | IIMC
Good old days (certainly minus GHG emissions for the moment!!), big centralized dispatchable plants, transmission networks planned to transfer electricity from these big plants to load centers, passive distribution networks, supplying electricity to individual consumers, well understood synchronous generators behaviors to grid disturbances, well established and working scheduling and dispatch processes.
And then major problem of global warming changed the course (milder expression, truth is, it changed the whole game)!!
Fast forward to current days, big solar and wind parks connected to transmission systems, non dispatchable, huge nos. of distribution connected smaller generation assets including roof top solar, active distribution networks, dispatchable plants mainly used for base load and ramp capabilities, a whole lot of pilots with various technologies and business models in generation, storage and demand side in different markets, each competing on proving capability to scale and provide solution for new scenario.
As the picture gets clear or let's say more complex, COP28, as another milestone in the journey, gave some important way forward if we have to ensure 1.5 degree goal, energy adequacy mathematics may not yet look like adding but there is at least some common agreed way forward.
Specifically on generation mix, two important things noted that directly indicate to us what kind of generation mix we may be looking forward to, RE becoming 3x (both grid scale and roof top definitely) and nuclear becoming 3x, while one is pretty stable source other is what will test our learning and expertise gained for the times to come.
Orchestration of resources has always been important to run the symphony of grid but over the period what we have moved into is, from lesser natural response as per laws of physics to more programmed response at least from generation side, e.g. synchronously rotating resources exhibit inherent capability to respond frequency excursions caused by grid disturbances while IBR's must be programmed to respond and respond in the desired way. And when we are talking about programmed response, modelling and simulations, measurements and triggers become much more important.
Two prominent documents from two of the major systems that clearly highlight learning which are yet incomplete or WIP
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Challenges primarily relate to modelling of inverter based resources, IBR's, response of these to grid disturbance, non-availability of complete modelling information, controller settings for LOM protection and active and reactive power performance during grid disturbances, voltage control and so on.
NERC has also triggered drafting reliability standards for wind, solar and storage assets and all this while IBR penetration in grids keep on increasing (to be finalized and made operational by end of this decade!!). And this is only grid level, at local level, challenges are not noted here but are noticeable in some practices that are evolving in Australian market. Important aspect that probably Australian AEMO is teaching the system operators is increasing need of orchestration possibilities of even roof top solar which started with South Australia and now spreading to other regions and community batteries. but here again we are talking about orchestration of resources (solar, battery charging, battery discharging) at a local level.
These two reports and practices being tested in Australia highlight that there is still a lot to be learned and standardized and a well calibrated progress will be the "safe and secure" way forward. And mind you, we have not touched upon exorbitant costs associated with too much speeding up decarbonizing grids which will (in fact already) impact affordability and so a big social issue!!
While policy and regulations are important but all the transformative changes will have to pass through necessary gate of technical learning, noted above is just a small part of it, if it is adequate. Everybody, including policy makers, know that economic progress is going to be powered by a robust and reliable grid and nobody will want to move into a terrain that grid operators do not have learned almost fully yet...
#decarbonizing #netzero #gridreliability #rooftopsolar #renewableenergy