WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy has selected Electrical Distribution Design (EDD) to lead a project focused on increasing solar situational awareness and grid resilience through threat detection. EDD, working with project partners PEPCO Holdings (PHI), Clean Power Research (CPR), Florida State University (FSU), Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA), University of Delaware (UD), Dominion Voltage Inc. (DVI), and KITU Systems will focus on the combined use of simulation with operational data and the overlay of communication network data to determine points of threat.
"The faster than real-time, time-series analysis of accurate power system models can provide the intelligence needed for rapid detection of abnormalities, including cyber security breaches, and for managing stability with quickly changing generation," stated Robert Broadwater, EDD CTO. "With breakthroughs in smart inverters, energy storage, and flexible load management, our industry is entering an era where these technologies can provide new value for utilities and customers."
The project will develop a Measurement and Model Integrator for Ensuring Grid Security (MIEGS) system. This system will be run on a common model integrating simulation with operational data to better detect security threats and provide enhanced clarity on grid situational awareness. The common model will be an integration of transmission, substation, distribution and secondary (TSDS), where simulation will be performed to detect cyberattacks as well as monitor and control the system stability ranging from lab-scale testing to simulating up to 700,000 PV generators.
Initial work on the project is scheduled to start in November 2019 with simulation and experiments to compare voltage stability, reliability and economic benefits of coordinated control. Subsequent work in years two and three will expand the scope to hardware-in-the-simulation-loop lab experiments and full large-scale field demonstration.