Energy Speaker Series - Module 3: Power Systems Monitoring and Control

Session 3.1: A MATLAB-based architecture for testing and deploying real time algorithms for Wide Area Monitoring Protection and Control of the Italian power system – Giorgio Giannuzzi and Cosimo Pisani, Terna

Keep the security high is one of the basic requirements for a Transmission System Operator (TSO). In order to do this, the acquisition of more and more pervasive information for predicting power systems dynamic evolution, in each operating condition, and for identifying the more appropriate and effective countermeasures which guarantee secure and stable operating conditions is essential. The major concerns in doing this are represented by the TSO inability to predict, with high accuracy, the system behavior but also the technological limits of the traditional Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. A pragmatic solution to the highlighted issues is represented by the development of the Wide Area Measurement Systems (WAMS). Terna has developed a MATLAB-based architecture for testing and deploying real time algorithms for Wide Area Monitoring Protection and Control of the Italian power system. Thanks to this architecture power system engineers can, for instance, directly code real time algorithms in MATLAB, test them in a testing environment and once consolidated directly port on the production environment.

Session 3.2: Frequency Control Ancillary Services Delivery Verification to Manage the System Frequency and Ensure System Operations –LingXiao Situ, Hydro Tasmania

In the Australia NEM (National Electricity Market), as one of the marketized ancillary services - FCAS (Frequency Control Ancillary Services) is used by AEMO (Australia Electricity Market Operator) to manage the system frequency and ensure the system is operated in a safe, secure, and reliable manner.  Based on the control objectives, the FCAS services can be classified into two categories, Regulation and Contingency.

After a contingency event, it is a mandatory process to evaluate the machine power delivery against its dispatch for the purpose of compliance. In the FCAS R6 case, it is required that the machine output will be recorded by 50ms high speed data, then by excluding the synchronous machine inertial response, the machine FCAS R6 is evaluated based on the net power injection from the governor primary frequency response in the first 6 seconds.  However, in reality the evaluation can be rather challenging due to the number of the machines in our portfolio. Further, the issue associated with the data quality also created a lot of difficulty for us to interpret the unexpected delivery and interfere appropriate engineering decision making.

In this presentation, we will focus on the contingency FCAS. Using FCAS R6 (raise response within 6 seconds) to illustrate the FCAS delivery evaluation procedures and challenges, as well as our MATLAB applications to automate this process and gain the evaluation efficiency and system insights.

Session 3.3: Online Identification of the Source of Power Systems Oscillations using PMU – Slava Maslennikov, ISO-NE

Sustained forced and poorly damped natural oscillations represent the threat to power systems as potentially causing instability, uncontrolled cascading outages and undesirable mechanical vibration in equipment. The vast majority of sustained oscillations are forced oscillations caused by the failure of equipment, control systems and atypical operating conditions. Identification of the source of oscillation, which is typically a generator, is a key actionable information for the efficient mitigation requiring the elimination of actual physical forced signal or disconnection it from the network. ISO New England (MA, USA) has developed a MATLAB-based Oscillation Source Locating (OSL) application, which uses Phasor Measurement Units (PMU) data for online identification of the source of oscillations since 2017. The presentation discusses the OSL and online oscillation management at ISO New England.

Session 3.4: A Machine-learning Approach for Dynamic Security Margin Assessment of Power Grids with High Penetration of Renewable Energy – Jin Tan, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Driven by the increasing of variable and uncertain renewable energy generation, power systems operation and planning are facing challenges to identify critical scenarios for contingency analysis, therefore it is hard to ensure the secure operation of the future grid. This presentation provides a machine-learning based approach to assess the dynamic security margin based on the steady-state dispatch results. A unified framework is proposed to assess the security margin of power system transient stability, frequency stability, and small signals stability simultaneously by using improved neural network and decision tree algorithm. All the machine-learning algorithms are developed on MATLAB platform. The Test results based on the 18-bus system and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) reduced the 240-bus Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) system verify the effectiveness of the proposed machine-learning approach.

About the Presenters

Cosimo Pisani, Senior Engineer, Terna, Italy

Cosimo Pisani received the M.Sc. degree with honors in Energy Engineering from the University of Sannio, Benevento, in 2010 and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Naples “Federico II,” Naples, Italy, in 2014. Currently, he is Senior power system engineer at Dispatching and Switching Dept. – Stability and Network Calculations. He is the author or coauthor of over 60 scientific papers published in reviewed journals and presented at international and national conferences. 

Giorgio Giannuzzi, Head of Security Défense and Protection, Terna Dispatching Department, Italy

Giorgio Giannuzzi (1967) received his Electric Engineering degree from the University of Rome. Until December 2000 he worked for ABB, where he was in charge of network studies, protection and control applications, with special reference to RTU apparatus and data engineering issues. Since 2001 he serves TERNA as expert in defense plans/systems, dynamic studies, protection, telecontrol and substation automation. Under his guidance were designed and coded the main security Energy Management Systems actually in use at National Control Centre. Currently is responsible of the Engineering Department of National Dispatching Centre.

LingXiao Situ, Engineering Manager, Hydro Tasmania, Australia

Lingxiao Situ graduated as an electrical engineer from the University of Tasmania and joined Hydro Tasmania in 2011. He has been heavily involved in power system and hydro generator performance analysis, simulation, modelling as well as large scale data automation and analysis.

In recent years, he has been focussing on the evolving role of hydro assets, the advanced applications of hydro generator with other emerging technologies as well as addressing the assets technical challenges from the transformation of the Australia National Electricity Market. 

Slava Maslennikov, Technical Manager, ISO-NE, USA

Slava Maslennikov received the M.S., Ph.D.  and Dr. of Sciences degrees in power systems from the St. Petersburg Technical University (former Leningrad Polytechnic Institute (LPI)), St. Petersburg, Russia in 1979, 1984 and 1998, respectively. He joined the power system department of the LPI in 1979 and hold several positions there during twenty years from a researcher to associate professor. Slava joined the Business Architecture and Technology Department of the ISO New England, MA, USA in 2006 and he is currently a Technical Manager.  

Jin Tan, Senior Engineer, Power System Engineering Centre, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA

Jin Tan is a Senior Engineer, Power System Engineering Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory. She has more than 10 years of experience working in the fields of wind turbine modelling, power systems stability analysis and renewable integration study. Currently, she is focusing on developing a multi-timescale integrated dynamics and scheduling model for grid with high solar. Specialties: Bulk system modelling, analysis and control, renewable modelling, stability analysis, energy storage for grid applications.