The project will jointly implement advanced power flow control (APFC) and dynamic line rating (DLR) technologies to support the connection of renewable energy sources and new demand more quickly in Georgia.
Southern Company, Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), Smart Wires and other partners announced they are collaborating on a new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded project that will jointly implement advanced power flow control (APFC) and dynamic line rating (DLR) technologies to support the connection of renewable energy sources and new demand more quickly in Georgia. active and passive filters difference
The project, scheduled for 2025 and led by the Georgia Tech Center for Distributed Energy, was selected by tDOE in November 2021 as one of four projects to receive funding for grid enhancing technologies (GETs) that can improve grid reliability, optimize existing grid infrastructure, and support the connection of renewable energy. It will use Smart Wires’ APFC solution – SmartValve – in a mobile deployment combined with its DLR software – SUMO – and also develop control algorithms in an effort to improve and fine-tune how these solutions can work in synergy.
This project will be the first large-scale implementation of both technologies together, Smart Wires said. It will specifically examine their combined impact and is intended to result in the development of design control algorithms to unlock the combined power of these solutions and maximize their efficiency.
SUMO identifies when lines have spare capacity based on real-time weather conditions, while SmartValves can redirect power flows to quickly utilize this spare capacity. This also applies in reverse, with SUMO identifying when the dynamic ratings of lines are less than the static rating. If it’s a hot day, for example, SmartValves can redirect power flows away from these circuits to others with capacity, reducing the risk of system faults while improving operational safety.
APFC solutions like SmartValve are mandated for inclusion in regional transmission planning processes and interconnection studies under FERC’s newly introduced Order 1920 and Order 2023, respectively. It is a single-phase modular Static Synchronous Series Compensator (m-SSSC) that injects a voltage in quadrature with the line current to essentially push power off overloaded lines or pull power onto underutilized lines. The mobile deployment of SmartValves can be installed and in-service within one week, Smart Wires said.
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“We’re delighted to provide both SmartValves and SUMO in this project to move the dial in terms of deploying multiple GETs in synergy and optimizing their use,” said Joaquin Peirano, General Manager for the Americas at Smart Wires. “The commitment of utilities like Southern Company to get the most from their existing grid with GETs, combined with the positive regulatory developments such as FERC’s recent Order 1920, positions the U.S. to capture the full value these technologies can provide on transmission grids.”
A case study from Central Hudson Gas & Electric offers a glimpse of what Smart Wires can do for a utility. Central Hudson Gas & Electric had a problem: it needed to increase capacity by 185 MW in its service territory, at the lowest cost to consumers. The need arose from the New York Independent System Operator’s (NYISO), Class Year Facilities study, an annual report that assesses all of the generation projects proposed to connect to the state’s electric grid. The 2011 study identified that the transfer capacity of the UPNY-SENY interface in Central Hudson’s territory needed to be increased by 185 MW to help meet New York’s target of hitting 70% renewables by 2030.
Central Hudson evaluated multiple network options to control power flows on this circuit and utilize available capacity on the existing grid for new renewable generation. The utility originally considered using a Fixed Series Capacitor (FSC) but following detailed analysis a project using modular Static Synchronous Series Compensators (SSSCs ) — Smart Wires’ SmartValve — was selected as the preferred network option.
The project involved the installation of 15 SmartValves (each device is 10 MVAr) on the Leeds-Hurley Avenue circuit in 2023, enabling the system operator to control power flows in real-time based on the changing network conditions. In this case, the SmartValves pull power onto the underutilized Leeds-Hurley Avenue circuit to unlock the required 185 MW of additional capacity.
The SmartValve deployment required less substation work and had a 25% smaller footprint than the alternative FSC, Central Hudson said, which enabled a quicker and cheaper deployment, saving an estimated $10 million. Central Hudson also touted the deployment’s lower risk of sub-synchronous resonance and capability to provide dynamic services such as improving voltage stability and transient stability. Central Hudson can also expand or relocate the deployment as system needs change over time.
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