New Transmission Technologies for Renewable Integration

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• New Transmission Technologies for Renewable
  Integration
• - The Need for A Smarter Grid -
• Presented to
• California Energy Tour
• June 15, 2009
• Hearing Room B, California Energy Commission
• By Merwin Brown, DirectorElectric Transmission
  Research

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For most of us, the electric transmission system
simply consists of wires and steel towers
stretching across fields and the horizon
Appearing static, technically simple, and at
best, boring. That is, until the lights go out.
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Electricity outages create huge costs for
industry and consumers.
But the cost of no kWh is often the greatest.
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It is not the cost of electricity that drives
our decision-making process, rather it is the
cost of NOT having electricity.
The annual costs to US economy of poor
reliability are 120,000,000,000 and the causes
are many.
Jeff Byron, Energy Director, Oracle Corp., at
the E Source Distributed Energy Summit 2000
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Disruptions from Acts of Nature and Accidents are
random.
Many events are frequent, with low impacts
others, while rare, can become major disasters.
6
Terrorism and Vandalism can be calculated to
yield maximum damage.
The US has been fortunate, but threat is growing,
and society largely unprepared.
Unfortunately, there are even more subtle threats
to our power system reliability.
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For most of the 20th Century, transmission had a
relatively simple role moving electricity from
central power plants to the consumers.
Transmission system behavior was predictable, and
under the close control of an operator - much
like conducting an orchestra.
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But imagine an orchestra conductor experiencing
this deteriorating situation

• Musicians are
• Using worn out instruments,
• Playing without sheet music,
• Ignoring the conductors lead.
• Each audience member expects their favorite piece
  be played upon request,
• Attendance has outgrown the music hall.

Under these circumstances, no orchestra leader
could create sounds that are music to the ear.
Todays transmission owners, operators, planners
and regulators face a similar deteriorating and
increasingly complex situation.
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Building new transmission lines to meet growing
demand is becoming increasingly difficult.

• Power flows pushed to the physical limit during
  peak times
• Increased costly congestion
• Taking years longer to build new transmission
  than new power plants

No
Line
New
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California is connected to a large, multi-state,
multi-country, brittle power grid for access to
low-cost, clean power.

• Increases risk and consequences of widespread
  blackouts costing billions.
• In 1996, a grid disturbance caused a widespread
  blackout in the west.

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Accommodating competitive wholesale power markets
means

• Reduced ability to plan and control the grid
• Greater uncertainty grid behavior, dramatically
  reducing operator time for responding to problems
• Increased economic inefficiencies, e.g., excess
  congestion

Now theres a new challenge looming.
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Renewable Resources Portfolio Mix33 2020
Scenario
20,000 MW of New Generation
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Most renewable power plants to be located in
remote locations far from customers and electric
grid.
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The Saga of Renewable Transmission Integration

• Difficulties with siting new or upgrading
  existing transmission
• Thermal Limits
• Stability Constraints (Voltage, Transient,
  Dynamic)
• N-1 Contingencies

Accommodate Renewables Unique Behaviors
Provide Access
Increase Capacity
Renewable Power Plant
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What are these?
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Wind generation varies widely from day to day and
hour to hour.
Wind and solar intermittency increase grid
operation uncertainty.
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Typical load wind profiles are almost inverse
images
Load
Wind Generation
Hundreds of MW of new rapidly dispatchable
generation required for regulation and
load-following ramping.
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Some renewable generators have low or no inertia.
Reduced inertia may amplify grid transient
instabilities.
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For now we can build our way out of these
problems, but at higher renewable penetrations

• traditional build solutions, i.e., investments
  in wires, towers and power plants, cant do it
  alone.
• New technologies will be needed to make renewable
  integration easier and less costly

especially technologies that make the grid
smarter
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New Technologies to Provide Faster Access for New
Renewable Plants
by putting new transmission lines in a better
light.
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New Technologies to Accommodate Unique Renewable
Generator Behaviors

• Energy Storage Intelligent Agent (temporal
  power flow control)
• Solar and Wind Forecasting Tools
• Synchrophasor Monitoring
• Power Flow Control (spatial)
• Demand Response
• Distributed Generation
• Generator and Load Modeling
• Statistical and Probabilistic Forecasting Tools
• Advanced Intelligent Protection Systems

through a smarter and more flexible grid.
Intermittency Ramp Rate Inertia Over Supply
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New Technologies for Increased Transmission
Capacity
by optimizing the grid for greater power flow.

• Dynamic Thermal Ratings
• Real-Time System Ops (synchrophasors)
• Power Flow Control (spatial)
• Energy Storage (temporal power flow control)
• Advanced Transmission Line Conductors
• High Voltage Direct Current
• Distributed Generation Demand Response
• Statistical Probabilistic Analysis Planning
  Tools
• Advanced Intelligent Protection Systems

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Example Synchrophasor Measurements The Basis
of the Smart Grid Transmission
Are like X-ray to MRI improvements in
diagnostics capability.
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The Before and After of Synchrophasor Measurements
Traditional Real-Time Data Rate Every 4-5
seconds
Disturbances
Unobserved Response
Power
System
An unprecedented ability to see, know, plan and
control.
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Two Views California-Oregon Intertie Power Flow
During Generator Trip
Simulated COI Power (initial WSCC base case)
What the operator saw
This event triggered a inter-area power
oscillation that ended in the August 10th, 1996,
power outage in western US.
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Synchrophasors enable inter-area power
oscillations to be seen and analyzed.
These oscillations have caused transmission
capacity to be derated by thousands of MW in the
western interconnection, restricting the
export/import of renewable power.
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Some Other Smart Aspects of New Transmission
Technologies

• Expand situation awareness to automated control,
  intelligent protection and decision support OM.
• Integrate operator intelligence with physical
  system actions, e.g., power flow control,
  restoration, congestion management, storage,
  demand response, distributed generation
• Enhance rate and level of understanding and
  acceptance by planners, policy makers, regulators
  and public
• Expand into system security from assaults, e.g.,
  earthquakes, wildfires.

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Transmission Technology Research for Renewable
Integration Study
Purpose Technology RD

• Project Team Merwin Brown, Lloyd Cibulka, Jim
  Cole, Larry Miller, Gilda Garcia

http//ciee.ucop.edu/piertrans/documents/Transmiss
ionTechnologyResearchforRenewablesFinalReport.pdf
Portions of this presentation are a result of
work sponsored by the California Energy
Commission and does not necessarily represent the
views of the Energy Commission, its employees or
the State of California. This presentation has
not been approved or disapproved by the
California Energy Commission nor has the Energy
Commission passed upon the accuracy or adequacy
of the information in this presentation.
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For Information about Transmission Technology
Research
People tend to overestimate what can be
accomplished in the short run but to
underestimate what can be accomplished in the
long run. Arthur C. Clarke

• Merwin Brown
• Director, Electric Transmission Research
• Voice 916-551-1871
• Fax [phone]
• Merwin.Brown_at_ucop.edu

http//ciee.ucop.edu/piertrans/documents/Transmiss
ionTechnologyResearchforRenewablesFinalReport.pdf