PNNL Electric Infrastructure Programs
By Carl Imhoff
Electric Infrastructure Sector Manager
Pacific Northwest National Lab
1
About Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
PNNL FY2010 Snapshot
$1.1 billion in R&D
More than 4,900 staff and a payroll of
more than $410 million
Voted one of Washington’s
best places to work
930 peer-reviewed publications
46 patents issued
Ranked 43rd on InformationWeek’s
500 most innovative users of
business information technology
Strengthen U.S.
Scientific
Foundations
for Innovation
Prevent and Counter
Acts of Terrorism
and the Proliferation
of Weapons of
Mass Destruction
2
Increase U.S.
Energy Capacity
and Reduce
Dependence on
Imported Oil
Reduce Environmental
Effects of Human
Activity and Create
Sustainable Systems
Energy and Environment Business
FY10 Sales: $365 million
Business areas include:






Clean Fossil Energy
Electricity Infrastructure
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Environmental Health and Remediation
Nuclear Energy
Nuclear Regulatory
The challenge ahead is complex
The grid must meet new expectations
The energy industry is highly regulated, capital intensive, risk averse,
innovation poor and highly fragmented
Historical Expectations
Affordable Power
Reliable Power
Secure Power
Emerging Expectations
Delivering 300 GW of renewable
generation by 2025
Maximize benefits of end-use
efficiency and storage
Electrify transportation sector
to reduce dependence on
imported oil
Meet future carbon and
emissions constraints
3
3
Today data is limited to traditional boundaries
Transparency is moderate at high voltage….virtually
nonexistent at the consumer end
• 6 second
SCADA for EMS
• < 200 phasors
© 2010 PNNL
4
4
• 6 second
SCADA for DMS
• Manual (mostly)
control & outage
monitoring
• Limited self
monitoring
• Limited price
signal
• Limited options
How might the grid of the future be different?
Real-time, time-synchronous data
pervasive across the system
•
•
•
•
Phasor measurement nets
High-resolution protective relays
Distribution automation data
Digital, 2-way end use data
© 2010 PNNL
•
•
•
5
5
End-to-end view of status enables running the system closer to optimum
Incentives and opportunities can be viewed end-to-end to better meet objectives
New paradigms for design and control enabled
- Higher (n-x) design criteria
- Adaptive protection and control
- Use of demand response for ancillary services
Transforming the U.S. Energy System
PNNL’s Electric Infrastructure Research Agenda
System Transparency – Seeing and operating the
grid at the interconnection level in real-time
Analytic Innovations - Leveraging High-Performance
Computing and new algorithms to provide real-time situational
awareness and models for prediction and response
End-Use Efficiency and Demand Response – Making demand
an active tool in managing grid efficiency and reliability.
Renewable Integration – Addressing variability and intermittence
of large-scale wind generation and the complexities of
distributed generation and net metering
Energy Storage – Defining the location, technical performance,
and required cost of storage; synthesizing nanofunctional
materials and system fabrication to meet requirements
6 6
Cyber Security and Interoperability – Defining standards
for secure, two-way communication and data exchange
Advanced Visualization
and Decision Support Tools R&D
Wide Area Hybrid Grid Health Tool
Small Signal Analysis Tool
Severe
Disturbance
Visual views of RT Grid Security
7
NVAC Power System View
Battelle-led Pacific Northwest Demonstration
Project will explore smart grid functionality
$178M, ARRA-funded,
5-year demonstration
60,000 metered customers
in 5 states
Quantify costs and benefits
Facilitate integration
of
wind and other renewables
Led by Battelle and partners
including
BPA, 12 utilities,
2 universities, and
5 vendors
Will utilize PNNL’s Electricity
Infrastructure Operations
Center
Key
8
Demand Response
Distributed Generation
Energy Storage
Grid Friendly Appliance
Renewables
Integration
Tech/Data
Testing
GridLAB-D: Design Tool for the Smart Grid
Unifies models of the key elements of a smart grid:
Power Systems
Loads
Markets
 Smart grid analyses
 field projects
 technologies
 control strategies
 cost/benefits
 Time scale: sec. to years
Open source
 Contributions from
 government
 industry
 academia
 Vendors can add or
extract own modules
 GridLAB-D is a DOE-funded, open–source, time-series simulation of all aspects of operating a smart
grid from substation level down in unprecedented detail
 Simultaneously solves 1) power flow, 2) end use load behavior in 1000s of homes, and 3) doubleauction markets to set real-time

9 These multi-disciplinary analyses cannot be produced by any other simulation in the world!
Renewables Integration
Industry Challenges
Predicting wind ramps
Meeting regulation/load
following needs
Managing overgeneration
conditions
Impact of regulation
requirements on hydro units
Better prediction of “tail”
events such as Texas in spring
2008
10
PNNL Strategy to Enable 25%
by 2025
Have a significant impact
on national energy needs
and green house gas
emissions
Transform variable
resources into semi-firm
electricity
Be cost acceptable in the
short run and cost effective
in the long run
Electrical energy storage for utility
applications


11
Develop cost-effective
electrochemical energy storage
technologies or batteries to
enable significant renewable
integration and smart grid
i.
High performance, low cost redox
flow batteries;
ii.
Novel Na-solid oxide batteries in
planar design
iii.
Unique Li-ion batteries for
community storage
Establish grid storage analytics
that evaluate the value storage
plays at different levels of the
system at what price and
performance levels
Trends Impacting
Control System Security
Trends
Cyber Security Elements
Open Protocols
Confidentiality
Common Operating Systems
Integrity
Interconnected to Other
Systems
Availability
Reliance on Public Communications
Increased Capability of Field
Equipment
Control systems have specific requirements & priorities!
12
Regional Needs and Offerings
High renewable penetration + hydro base offer unique
needs and values
Regional investment and leadership in emerging digital
concepts calls for coordinated research and thought
leadership
Regions legacy in coordinated efficiency + emissions
profiles point to priority on electrifying transportation to
impact carbon agenda
How can region leverage innovations at high and low
voltage to lead grid modernization in ways that
engage and delight the consumers?
How do we go beyond improving current paradigms
to illuminate potential of new grid operational
paradigms?
13