CAREER: Distributed Intelligence for Assessing and Enforcing Transient Stability of Electric Power Networks with Heterogeneous Energy Resources

This project is motivated by the unprecedented complexity faced today in ensuring the dynamic security of electric power networks hosting heterogeneous electric energy resources (EERs). The project aims to develop two types of distributed intelligence (DI), namely DI-1 and DI-2, for assessing and enforcing system-level, electromagnetic transient (EMT) stability of a broad class of electric power networks in the presence of large disturbances. The project will bring transformative change in how to reliably operate electric power networks with both legacy and next-generation resources. This will be achieved by DI-1, a power-electronic interface that can enforce stability without reprogramming of EER controllers, and DI-2, a software module that self-checks the compatibility of an EER with its host network and adaptively tunes EER controllers to ensure this compatibility. The intellectual merits include: 1) Both types of DI will be able to address the high-order, nonlinear dynamics governing power networks with heterogeneous EERs. 2) DI-1 can self-check and self-enforce the compatibility of EERs with their host grids without reprogramming the controllers of EERs. 3) DI-2 can provide grid operators with real-time situational awareness of grids’ resilience to large external disturbances. 4) EMT-Cloud is the first-of-its-kind, open-access cloud platform enabling nationwide undergraduate and graduate researchers to remotely perform EMT simulations and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) tests. The broader impacts include: 1) The proposed intelligence will enhance the U.S. grids’ resilience under large disturbances by providing system operators with situational awareness on grid stability and by preventing heterogeneous EERs from destabilizing the systems. 2) EMT-Cloud provides nationwide student researchers with an efficient platform for prototyping their power system research ideas requiring HIL/EMT simulations. 3) The project will introduce a course featuring Inverter-Based Resource (IBR) modeling, decentralized/distributed control, and real-time simulations. The project will also include two hands-on training workshops open to students nationwide. These efforts will contribute to workforce development in the U.S. This project includes three synergetic thrusts. Thrust 1 aims to design DI-1 for Non-Manufacturer Parties (NMPs). DI-1 checks and enforces local stability conditions without accessing or reprogramming EER controllers. Thrust 2 will focus on design DI-2 for EER manufacturers. DI-2 will be able to significantly accelerate transient stability assessment through an asynchronous learning-falsification method. DI-1 and DI-2 will support interoperability among legacy and next-generation resources, and they can stabilize their host networks collaboratively regardless of the availability of communication. With the two types of DI, Thrust 3 will establish a framework that enables grid operators to stabilize the networks with minimal changes to the network topology. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2540300 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Tong Huang | Institution: San Diego State University Foundation, SAN DIEGO, CA | Award Amount: $550,000 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2540300 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2540300.html