The amount of distributed generation (DG) is increasing worldwide, and it is located in distribution networks close to consumers or even in the consumers¡¦ side of the meter. Therefore, the net demand to be supplied through transmission and distribution networks may decrease, allowing to postpone reinforcement of existing networks. This thesis presents a methodology for assessing the potential benefits of using non--constructional reinforcement strategies to relieve distribution network congestion and increase the utilization of the network assets. Due to the randomness of involved variables (load demand patterns, DG hourly production, DG availability, etc.), a simulation approach is used to model the uncertainties. The benefits of DG, energy storage (ES), and demand response (DR) on congestion relief and investment deferment are evaluated. The analyzed items include: the distribution network investment avoided cost, levelized annual cost, hourly overload probability, and hourly overload risk. Simulation results indicate the potential benefits of non--traditional strategies in increasing the distribution network utilization and relieving network congestion.

This dissertation proposes a power management and control strategy for islanded microgrids, which consist of multiple electronically-interfaced distributed energy resource (DER) units, to achieve a prescribed load sharing scheme. This strategy provides i) a power management system to specify voltage set points based on a classical power flow analysis; 2) DER local controllers, designed based on a robust, decentralized, servomechanism approach, to track the set points; and 3) a frequency control and synchronization scheme. This strategy is then generalized to incorporate both power-controlled and voltage-controlled DER units. Since the voltage-controlled DER units do not use inner current control loops, they are vulnerable to overcurrent/overload transients subsequent to system severe disturbances, e.g., faults and overloading conditions. To prevent DER unit trip-out or damage under these conditions, an overcurrent/overload protection scheme is proposed that detects microgrid abnormal conditions, modifies the terminal voltage of the corresponding VSC to limit DER unit output current/power within the permissible range, and restores voltage controllers subsequently. Under certain circumstances, e.g., microgrid islanding and communication failure, there is a need to switch from an active to a latent microgrid controller. To minimize the resultant transients, control transition should be performed smoothly. For the aforementioned two circumstances, two smooth control transition techniques, based on 1) an observer and 2) an auxiliary tracking controller, are proposed to achieve a smooth control transition. A typical microgrid system that adopts the proposed strategy is investigated. The microgrid dynamics are investigated based on eigenvalue sensitivity and robust analysis studies to evaluate the performance of the closed-loop linearized microgrid. Extensive case studies, based on time-domain simulations in the PSCAD/EMTDC platform, are performed to evaluate performance of the proposed controllers when the microgrid is subject to various disturbances, e.g., load change, DER abrupt outage, configuration change, faults, and overloading conditions. Real-time hardware-in-the-loop case studies, using an RTDS system and NI-cRIO industrial controllers, are also conducted to demonstrate ease of hardware implementation, validate controller performance, and demonstrate its insensitivity to hardware implementation issues, e.g., noise, PWM nonidealities, A/D and D/A conversion errors and delays.

This dissertation proposes a power management and control strategy for islanded microgrids, which consist of multiple electronically-interfaced distributed energy resource (DER) units, to achieve a prescribed load sharing scheme. This strategy provides i) a power management system to specify voltage set points based on a classical power flow analysis; 2) DER local controllers, designed based on a robust, decentralized, servomechanism approach, to track the set points; and 3) a frequency control and synchronization scheme. This strategy is then generalized to incorporate both power-controlled and voltage-controlled DER units. Since the voltage-controlled DER units do not use inner current control loops, they are vulnerable to overcurrent/overload transients subsequent to system severe disturbances, e.g., faults and overloading conditions. To prevent DER unit trip-out or damage under these conditions, an overcurrent/overload protection scheme is proposed that detects microgrid abnormal conditions, modifies the terminal voltage of the corresponding VSC to limit DER unit output current/power within the permissible range, and restores voltage controllers subsequently. Under certain circumstances, e.g., microgrid islanding and communication failure, there is a need to switch from an active to a latent microgrid controller. To minimize the resultant transients, control transition should be performed smoothly. For the aforementioned two circumstances, two smooth control transition techniques, based on 1) an observer and 2) an auxiliary tracking controller, are proposed to achieve a smooth control transition. A typical microgrid system that adopts the proposed strategy is investigated. The microgrid dynamics are investigated based on eigenvalue sensitivity and robust analysis studies to evaluate the performance of the closed-loop linearized microgrid. Extensive case studies, based on time-domain simulations in the PSCAD/EMTDC platform, are performed to evaluate performance of the proposed controllers when the microgrid is subject to various disturbances, e.g., load change, DER abrupt outage, configuration change, faults, and overloading conditions. Real-time hardware-in-the-loop case studies, using an RTDS system and NI-cRIO industrial controllers, are also conducted to demonstrate ease of hardware implementation, validate controller performance, and demonstrate its insensitivity to hardware implementation issues, e.g., noise, PWM nonidealities, A/D and D/A conversion errors and delays.

Power systems have evolved significantly during the last two decades with the advent of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) like solar PV. Traditionally, large power plants were considered as the sole source of energy in the power systems. However, DERs connected to the transmission and the distribution systems are creating a paradigm shift from a centralized generation to a distributed one. Though the variable power output from these DERs poses challenges to the reliable operation of the grid, it also presents opportunities to design control and coordination approaches to improve system efficiency and operational reliability. Moreover, building new transmission lines to meet ever-increasing load demand is not always viable. Thus, the industry is leaning towards developing non-wires alternatives. Considering the existing limitations of the transmission system, line congestions, and logistic/economic constraints associated with its capacity expansion, leveraging DERs to supply distribution system loads is attractive and thus capturing the attention of researchers and the electric power industry. The primary objective of this dissertation is to develop a framework that enables DERs to supply local area load by co-simulating the power system and transactive system representations of the network. To realize this objective, a novel distributed optimization and game theory-based network representation is developed that optimally computes the power output of the Home Microgrids/DER aggregators. Moreover, the optimum operational schedules of the DERs within these Home Microgrids/DER aggregators are also computed. The novel electrical-transactive co-simulation ensures that the solution is optimum in the context of power systems i.e. power flow constraints are not violated while the payoffs are maximized for the Home Microgrids/DER aggregators. The transactive mechanism involves two-way iterative signaling. The signaling is modeled as an infinite strategy, multiplayer, non-cooperative game, and a novel theory is developed for the game model. The dissertation also introduces a novel concept of ranking the Home Microgrids/DER aggregators according to their historic performance, thus leading to fairness, higher participation, and transparency. Significant advantages offered by the framework include consumption of local generation, transmission upgrade deferral, mitigation of line congestions in peak periods, and reduced transmission systems losses. / Doctor of Philosophy / In past, electricity was primarily produced by the large fossil fuel-based and nuclear power plants, usually located farther away from the populated areas where the bulk of the electricity consumption occurs. The electricity from the power plants is carried by the transmission lines to the populated areas where it is distributed to end-users via a distribution network. However, during the last two decades, issues like global warming and depleting fossil fuels have led to the development and increased adoption of renewable energy resources like solar photovoltaics (PV), wind turbines, etc. These resources are commonly known as Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), and they are connected to both the transmission and the distribution systems. Initially, they were mainly used to supply the load within the facility in which they are installed. However, the electric load (demand) continues to grow while adding new fossil fuel-based plants and transmission lines are becoming logistically/economically challenging. Thus, researchers are working on developing techniques that can enable DERs to supply the loads in the distribution system to which they are connected. This dissertation develops a method to use DERs for load support in the distribution systems. Specifically, the buildings that house the DERs can use the energy generated by the DERs to supply the local load (building load), and once the total generation exceeds the load demand, the building can inject the power into the distribution system to support the local area load. The proposed framework considers the electric network constraints like limits of lines supplying the power and limits of the transformers. The proposed work also develops a new method to maximize the benefit (in terms of profit) for the DER owners. A ranking system is introduced for the DER owners that enhances the transparency and fairness of the process. The key benefits offered by the proposed work include reduced losses in the transmission system, more energy consumed closer to the point of generation, and avoidance of transmission line and large central generation additions.

There is an increasing integration of distributed energy resources (DER), controllable loads, and other technologies that are making the grid more robust, reliable, and decentralized. Communication is a major aspect that enables this decentralization and can improve control of important system parameters by allowing different grid components to communicate their states with each other. This information exchange requires a reliable and fast communication infrastructure. Different communication techniques can be used towards this objective, but with recent technological advancements, 5G communication is proving to be a very viable option. 5G is being widely deployed throughout the world due to its high data rates combined with increased reliability compared with its predecessor technologies. This thesis focuses on application and performance analysis of a 5G network for different power system test cases. These test cases are microgrids, and consist of DERs that use distributed control for efficient operation. Under distributed control, the DERs communicate with each other to achieve fast and improved dynamic response. This work develops a co-simulation platform to analyze the impact that a 5G network has in this distributed control objective. This offers key insights on 5G's capability to support critical functions. Different scenarios including set point changes and transients are evaluated. Since distributed control is a time-critical application and DERs rely on the availability of up-to-date information, the scheduling aspect of 5G becomes very important and is given more focus. Information freshness measured using age of information (AoI) is used in this work. Information freshness is a measure of how recent and updated the information communicated by DERs is. This thesis compares the performance of AoI-based schedulers against standard schedulers. These different schedulers are then used on test systems employing distributed control. / Master of Science / Communication has become an important aspect of modern power systems due to increased integration of distributed energy resources (DER), controllable loads and other components that have communication capabilities for improved grid performance. Of the various communication techniques available for power systems, 5G is very promising due to its advantages over its predecessors and other wired communication methods. This work develops a cosimulation framework to implement a 5G network for different microgrid test cases that employ distributed control. Under distributed control, the DERs communicate with each other to achieve fast and improved dynamic response. Due to the time-critical nature of distributed control, DERs rely on the availability of up-to-date information. Hence the scheduling aspect of 5G becomes very important and is given more focus in this work. 5G schedulers that account for the availability of up-to-date information, also referred to as information freshness, are compared with standard 5G schedulers and their performance in distributed control test systems is analyzed.

Residential building sector accounts for significant share of primary energy demand in Sweden. Worldwide, generation from photovoltaic (PV) distributed energy resources is increasing, yet their potential in Sweden has been underdeveloped, in particular due to high system costs. Recent drop in module prices could however trigger more interest in such systems. In this thesis, the financial performance of residential PV plant utilizing the most recent data is carried out. The specific aim is to determine whether private investment into a PV system can be cost-effective. In the analysis, a grid-connected PV microgenerator with nominal power of 5.5 kWp, 34 m2 of arrays and 6 kW inverter is assessed. Expected lifetime of the system is 25 years, where 80% of the electricity output is self-consumed and 20% fed back to the main grid. Discount and escalation rates are utilized to calculate simple payback period, net present value, benefit-cost ratio, cost of conserved energy and internal rate of return (IRR) of the investment. Further, a scenario analysis is worked out to determine the change in the microgenerator’s performance outside of baseline set of parameters. The results are presented both under the default market conditions and with the inclusion of government support mechanisms. The PV plant did not financially perform well under the default conditions. State rebates and tax credit significantly enhanced the results and contributed to the cost-effectiveness of the investment. In the baseline scenario with government support, significant positive results in all the metrics used in the financial appraisal were yielded. The IRR also indicated that loans at various interest rates could be obtained to finance the PV system. The study emphasized the necessity of government support if a faster uptake of distributed PV systems is desired in Sweden. The results of this thesis can be utilized by potential investors (consumers) in their decision-making process, especially when they face an opportunity cost of investment. / COMPLEX - Knowledge Based Climate Mitigation Systems for a Low Carbon Economy, a EU FP7 project (2012-2016)

Este documento apresenta uma metodologia analítica adaptativa para localização de faltas baseada na estimativa da impedância para sistemas de distribuição ativos. A metodologia proposta combina a informação fornecida por dispositivos eletrônicos inteligentes alocados na subestação principal e nos terminais de cada unidade de Recurso Energético Distribuído (do inglês Distributed Energy Resources - DER), o conhecimento da topologia da rede e os seus parâmetros para estimar a localização da falta. A característica adaptativa é dada pelo uso de modelos elétricos lineares para considerar o efeito das DER conectadas à rede, quando a informação fornecida pelos Dispositivos Eletrônicos Inteligentes (do inglês Intelligent Electronic Devices - IED) não é disponível. Adicionalmente, uma estratégia baseada na técnica Ladder é desenvolvida para estimar a contribuição de corrente desde as DER até o ponto de falta. Esta estratégia permite considerar vários geradores conectados e seus diferentes modos de operação. A metodologia proposta foi validada com o sistema IEEE 34 barras. Este sistema foi modelado no Alternative Transients Program (ATP) e modificado pela inserção de várias unidades DER. A metodologia proposta foi validada em vários cenários. Estes cenários avaliam o efeito da distância até a falta, resistência da falta, incerteza na carga, nível de penetração de DER, número de geradores conectados e erros nas medidas ou na estimação dos parâmetros das DER quando seus modelos forem utilizados. Para estas considerações, o desempenho da formulação proposta é satisfatório, apresentando erros menores do que 3%. / This document presents an adaptive analytical impedance-based fault location methodology for active distribution systems. The proposal combines information provided by Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) located in the substation, each Distributed Energy Resources units terminal, the knowledge of the network topology as well as its parameters to estimate the fault location. Its adaptive feature is given by the use of linear analytical equivalent models to consider of DER effect in case the information provided by a local IED is not available. Additionally, a ladder-based technique is proposed to estimate the current contribution from of DER to the fault point. This process allows considering several DER connected and their different operation modes. The proposed methodology is validated on the IEEE 34-node test feeder. This system is modeled on ATP/EMTP and modified with the insertion of several DER units. The methodology is validated by considering several scenarios. These scenarios evaluate the effect of fault distance, fault resistance, load variation, DER penetration level, numbers of DERs connected and errors in the DER parameters. For these considerations, the proposed methodology performance is satisfactory, presenting fault location errors below 3%.

Distributed energy resources (DE) with power electronics interfaces and logic control using local measurements are capable of providing reactive power related to ancillary system services. In particular, local voltage regulation has drawn much attention in regards to power system reliability and voltage stability, especially from past major cascading outages. This dissertation addresses the challenges of controlling the DEs to regulate the local voltage in distribution systems. First, an adaptive voltage control method has been proposed to dynamically modify the control parameters of a single DE to respond to system changes such that the ideal response can be achieved. Theoretical analysis shows that a corresponding formulation of the dynamic control parameters exists; hence, the adaptive control method is theoretically solid. Also, the field experiment test results at the Distributed Energy Communications and Controls (DECC) Laboratory in single DE regulation case confirm the effectiveness of this method. Then, control methods have been discussed in the case of multiple DEs regulating voltages considering the availability of communications among all the DEs. When communications are readily available, a method is proposed to directly calculate the needed adaptive change of the DE control parameters in order to achieve the ideal response. When there is no communication available, an approach to adaptively and incrementally adjust the control parameters based on the local voltage changes is proposed. Since the impact from other DEs is implicitly considered in this approach, multiple DEs can collectively regulate voltages closely following the ideal response curve. Simulation results show that each method, with or without communications, can satisfy the fast response requirement for operational use without causing oscillation, inefficiency or system equipment interference, although the case with communication can perform even faster and more accurate. Since the proposed adaptive voltage regulation method in the case of multiple DEs without communication, has a high tolerance to real-time data shortage and can still provide good enough performance, it is more suitable for broad utility applications. The approach of multiple DEs with communication can be considered as a high-end solution, which gives faster and more precise results at a higher cost

This thesis first develops a medium-voltage grid code outlining stringent requirements for low-voltage ride-through, high-voltage ride-through and ancillary services based on anticipated grid requirements for distributed energy resources (DER)s. A 100 kW generating capacity DER study system is then formulated taking into consideration key design constraints as motivated by the medium-voltage grid code. Local DER system controls are developed that enable existing systems employing conventional current-control for the grid-interfacing voltage-sourced-converters to comply with the grid code. A supervisory controller is proposed that allows multiple DER units and loads to operate collectively as a DER system with a single point of common coupling. The impact of transformer configurations, fault types and fault locations on DER systems are quantified through a comprehensive fault study using the PSCAD/EMTDC software package. A subset of these fault scenarios are identified for rapid screening of DER system compliance against low-voltage ride-through requirements.

This thesis first develops a medium-voltage grid code outlining stringent requirements for low-voltage ride-through, high-voltage ride-through and ancillary services based on anticipated grid requirements for distributed energy resources (DER)s. A 100 kW generating capacity DER study system is then formulated taking into consideration key design constraints as motivated by the medium-voltage grid code. Local DER system controls are developed that enable existing systems employing conventional current-control for the grid-interfacing voltage-sourced-converters to comply with the grid code. A supervisory controller is proposed that allows multiple DER units and loads to operate collectively as a DER system with a single point of common coupling. The impact of transformer configurations, fault types and fault locations on DER systems are quantified through a comprehensive fault study using the PSCAD/EMTDC software package. A subset of these fault scenarios are identified for rapid screening of DER system compliance against low-voltage ride-through requirements.