Grant: Alliance Grants

Power distribution utilities including utility partner Elexicon Energy are increasingly experiencing the need to achieve several important objectives in their distribution systems, which include: i) providing dynamic voltage control to ensure quality power for customers, ii) preventing instability of critical motors to avoid huge financial losses in such industries, iii) avoiding shutdown of regional cluster of motors (e.g., air conditioning systems), iv) increasing network capacity to connect more sustainable energy sources i.e., solar photovoltaic (PV)/wind power systems and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), and v) energy savings through Conservation Voltage Reduction and line loss reduction to reduce customers' electricity bills. For achieving the above objectives, this proposal aims to use an innovative NIGHT and day control of solar PV system as a dynamic reactive power compensator STATCOM (a device to control voltage), named PV-STATCOM, and a novel 24-hour application of BESS as STATCOM, termed BESS-STATCOM. The PV/BESS-STATCOMs, when installed on existing solar PV and BESS systems, respectively, are 10 times cheaper than installing new STATCOMs which are typically used for achieving objectives i)-iii). Also, PV/BESS-STATCOMs respond 20 times faster than conventional controllers used for achieving objectives iv)-v). This proposal is designed to develop and demonstrate through simulations the capability of PV/BESS-STATCOM technologies for solving above utility challenges in Elexicon networks and in other IEEE/utility systems. This proposal further aims to perform the first-in-Canada field demonstration of transforming an existing BESS into BESS-STATCOM for critical motor stabilization in Elexicon network. This project will demonstrate the financial benefits of PV/BESS-STATCOM technologies in addressing utility challenges, and their capabilities to provide novel grid support services. This will inspire not only Canadian but also international utilities to adopt these novel technologies for significant cost savings and vastly improved utility operation.