PhRACTALS – Post-Hazard power system Restoration And Control Through Advanced Learning Systems

The operation and control of the electric power system will need a complete transformation due to the significant increase of renewable energy sources and battery-storage facilities. Centralized electricity generation with large power plants is replaced by a decentralized alternative, involving enormous quantities of smaller generating facilities. In addition, underground or submarine cables are preferred over over-head transmission lines, especially when installing large wind power plants. For power system operation, this transformation means a shift of importance from slow dynamics (hour to minute scales) to fast dynamics (seconds to milliseconds scale). Recent reports indicate a world-wide and constant increase of the severity and overall count of dynamic phenomena with significant harmful consequences on the electricity supply, which may negatively influence the quality of life in our society. Therefore, it is urgent to take actions towards establishing operational procedures that will enable handling fast dynamics efficiently. The goal of PhRACTALS project is to prepare and support operators in assuring faster, more flexible and more secure electric power system operation in an increasingly dynamic and uncertain environment. We aim at developing a fundamentally new way of electric power system operation, taking into account (i) the increased importance of fast dynamics, (ii) the technological development in monitoring and control techniques and (iii) the AI techniques capabilities to complement human expertise. The CELSA-funded activities will be the first step, focusing on black-starting the power system following a black-out. The system in black-start presents a small-scale power system with significant consequences of dynamic events, making it ideal for early phases of research. In summary, the PhRACTALS project aims at supporting the energy transition by preparing the future power system operators for managing a highly dynamic system.

Keywords:Markov Decision Process, Digital Twin, Energy Transition, Power System Restoration, Black-Start

Disciplines:Renewable power and energy systems engineering