As electrification continues to accelerate globally, ensuring a stable and resilient power grid is more important than ever. The HVDC-WISE project, a Horizon Europe project on reliable and resilient AC & DC grid design, is developing new ways to improve the control and protection of hybrid AC/DC systems. These systems combine traditional alternating current (AC) with high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology, offering a more efficient and flexible way to transport electricity over long distances. Here’s how the HVDC-WISE project is bringing innovation into how we can make our power grids more resilient and reliable.
Innovative Control Methods
One of the key achievements of the HVDC-WISE project is the development of advanced control methods for managing the flow of electricity. These methods ensure that the grid remains stable and efficient, even during unexpected events like faults or power surges. One of the key conclusions from the project is the importance of improving grid forming control. The project identified gaps in the combination of grid forming control with DC voltage droop control, which is crucial for stable power redistribution after faults. To address these gaps, the project proposed improvements that tackle small signal harmonic instability issues and ensure excellent contingency right-through performance. It was also found that the use of a single master control station can negatively impact AC frequency, highlighting the need for coordinated control strategies.
Additionally, the project has developed techniques for post-fault recovery, which manage voltage and current fluctuations effectively. A coordinated approach combining fuzzy logic and PI controllers showed significant improvements in reducing peak overshoot and settling time, thereby enhancing post-fault recovery and preventing outages.
The supplementary control functions introduce wide area services, such as frequency control, A/C line emulation control, and damping of low-frequency oscillations. These services are implemented through a coordinated control layer, which decouples various services and enhances grid reliability. This innovative approach ensures that the grid can respond dynamically to changing conditions, maintaining stability and efficiency.
The project also addressed the management of unbalanced operations in multi-terminal DC grids. Model predictive control (MPC) was applied to ensure smooth transitions and regulate neutral wire current and voltage. This approach effectively steers the system from one state to another while respecting constraints, thereby improving overall grid performance.
Robust Protection Strategies
The analysis of DC fault ride-through (DC-FRT) capabilities and their impact on AC stability highlights the importance of grid forming control in maintaining stability during faults. This ensures that the grid can withstand and recover from disruptions. Additionally, the AC protection studies reveal the need for adaptive protection schemes in converter-dominated grids. As our grids become increasingly reliant on power electronics, traditional protection methods may no longer suffice. The project proposes innovative solutions to address these challenges, ensuring that our grids remain secure and reliable.
Cybersecurity is another major concern. The project developed AI-based models for early detection of cyber anomalies, emphasizing the importance of considering both physical and cyber parameters in cybersecurity strategies. This proactive approach ensures that our grids remain secure in the face of evolving cyber threats.
A Secure Future
In summary, the HVDC-WISE project is making significant contributions to enhancing grid resilience and reliability. The recommendations from the project include enhancing grid forming control with phase compensation and virtual power system stabilizers, improving post-fault recovery with coordinated fuzzy logic and PI controllers, implementing wide area services like A/C line emulation control, adapting protection schemes for converter-dominated grids, and strengthening cybersecurity measures with AI-based models for early detection of anomalies. By addressing control, protection, and cybersecurity challenges, the project is paving the way for a secure, resilient power grid, and sustainable energy future for all.
For more information on innovative control and protection concepts for hybrid AC/DC systems developed by the project, check these reports: D3.2 Control for AC/DC Architectures;HVDC-WISE D3.3: Protection Concept; HVDC-WISE
HVDC-WISE (2022-2026) is supported by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme under agreement 101075424 and by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee [grant numbers 10041877 and 10051113].