Felix F. Wu

A general formulation of the feeder reconfiguration problem for loss reduction and load balancing is given, and a novel solution method is presented. The solution uses a search over different radial configurations created by considering switchings of the branch exchange type. To guide the search, two different power flow approximation methods with varying degrees of accuracy have been developed and tested. The methods are used to calculate the new power flow in the system after a branch exchange and they make use of the power flow equations developed for radial distribution systems. Both accuracy analysis and the test results show that estimation methods can be used in searches to reconfigure a given system even if the system is not well compensated and reconfiguring involves load transfer between different substations. For load balancing, a load balance index is defined and it is shown that the search and power flow estimation methods developed for power loss reduction can also be used for load balancing since the two problems are similar. >

The drastic reduction of carbon emission to combat global climate change cannot be realized without a significant contribution from the electricity sector. Renewable energy resources must take a bigger share in the generation mix, effective demand response must be widely implemented, and high-capacity energy storage systems must be developed. A smart grid is necessary to manage and control the increasingly complex future grid. Certain smart grid elements—renewables, storage, microgrid, consumer choice, and smart appliances—increase uncertainty in both supply and demand of electric power. Other smart gird elements—sensors, smart meters, demand response, and communications—provide more accurate information about the power system and more refined means of control. Simply building hardware for renewable generators and the smart grid, but still using the same operating paradigm of the grid, will not realize the full potential for overall system efficiency and carbon reduction. In this paper, a new operating paradigm, called risk-limiting dispatch, is proposed. It treats generation as a heterogeneous commodity of intermittent or stochastic power and uses information and control to design hedging techniques to manage the risk of uncertainty.

The scientific principle of “mechanical springs” was described by the British physicist Robert Hooke in the 1660's. Since then, there has not been any further development of the Hooke's law in the electric regime. In this paper, this technological gap is filled by the development of “electric springs.” The scientific principle, the operating modes, the limitations, and the practical realization of the electric springs are reported. It is discovered that such novel concept has huge potential in stabilizing future power systems with substantial penetration of intermittent renewable energy sources. This concept has been successfully demonstrated in a practical power system setup fed by an ac power source with a fluctuating wind energy source. The electric spring is found to be effective in regulating the mains voltage despite the fluctuation caused by the intermittent nature of wind power. Electric appliances with the electric springs embedded can be turned into a new generation of smart loads, which have their power demand following the power generation profile. It is envisaged that electric springs, when distributed over the power grid, will offer a new form of power system stability solution that is independent of information and communication technology.

A complete theory of network observability is presented. Starting from a fundamental notion of the observability of a network, a number of basic facts relating to network observability, unobservable states, unobservable branches, observable islands, relevancy of measurements, etc. are derived. Simple and efficient algorithms can be developed based on these basic facts to (i) test network observability, (ii) identify observable islands and (iii) place measurements for observability.