Results for “grid impact analysis” — Page 22

NASA NTRS2004

Topographic Analysis of Quasi-Circular Depressions Around the Utopia Basin, Mars

The Mars Orbiting Laser Altimeter (MOLA) has yielded a high-precision, topographic gridded data set. These data reveal the presence of Quasi-Circular Depressions (QCDs) in both the southern highlands and the northern lowlands . Many of these roughly circular depressions have no corresponding visible structural feature on the surface. It is proposed that these QCDs are the surface representation of buried impact craters . Based on this assumption, cumulative number vs. diameter curves were constructed, which placed the age of the buried surface of the northern lowlands in the Early Noachian .

Buczkowski, D. L.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Mitigating Voltage Instability in the Saudi Grid for a Decarbonized, Fully Solar Power System

Lately, solar photovoltaic (PV) has received significant interest due to its economic and environmental benefits. As the integration of renewable energy sources (RES) increases into existing power grids, challenges such as the decrease in short circuit ratio (SCR) are introduced. Here, this paper investigates a case study of the Saudi power grid, examining the voltage stability as the grid transitions from traditional power generation to 100% penetration of solar PV gradually. Moreover, the paper explores the relationship between the increase in solar penetration and the potential effects on the short circuit MVA (SCMVA), which could significantly impact the overall SCR of the system. To meet the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) recommendation of maintaining SCR at a particular level, synchronous condensers (SC)s were integrated into the grid. The effectiveness of utilizing SCs to maintain the system voltage at optimal levels in a fully solar grid is also considered. In addition, this paper covers the weak grid analysis via utilizing the Newton-Raphson load flow method, along with PV and QV curve analyses. The purpose behind that is to determine weak bus locations in need of voltage improvements, and to meet the amount of reactive power to be injected. Finally, the amount of power being delivered by SCs will be added progressively in three scenarios to show the enhancements on SCR more precisely.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2025

Decoding Resilience by Modeling Outage and Restoration Processes in Distribution Grids: A Pittsburgh Case Study

Climate-induced extreme weather events, such as floods and heatwaves, pose significant challenges to the resilience of urban power distribution grids. This paper examines the outage and restoration dynamics of Pittsburgh's power grid during the flood event in April 2024 and three heatwaves in June, July, and August 2024. We introduce a comprehensive modeling framework that integrates outage and restoration processes, enabling the quantification of resilience metrics, including total customer-hours of power outage, maximum residual values, and restoration durations across various ZIP codes. Our analysis highlights spatial disparities in outage impacts and restoration efficiencies, with ZIP Code 15222 experiencing the highest cumulative disruptions, while ZIP Code 15217 shows lower susceptibility. By linking statistical trends with weather events, this study underscores the critical need for targeted infrastructure upgrades and advanced restoration strategies. Furthermore, the proposed framework offers valuable insights for planning and managing resilient power systems in the face of increasing climate stress.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

NASA NTRS2013

The Use of Red Green Blue Air Mass Imagery to Investigate the Role of Stratospheric Air in a Non-convective Wind Event

Non-convective wind events commonly occur with passing extratropical cyclones and have significant societal and economic impacts. Since non-convective winds often occur in the absence of specific phenomena such as a thunderstorm, tornado, or hurricane, the public are less likely to heed high wind warnings and continue daily activities. Thus non-convective wind events result in as many fatalities as straight line thunderstorm winds. One physical explanation for non-convective winds includes tropopause folds. Improved model representation of stratospheric air and associated non-convective wind events could improve non-convective wind forecasts and associated warnings. In recent years, satellite data assimilation has improved skill in forecasting extratropical cyclones; however errors still remain in forecasting the position and strength of extratropical cyclones as well as the tropopause folding process. The goal of this study is to determine the impact of assimilating satellite temperature and moisture retrieved profiles from hyperspectral infrared (IR) sounders (i.e. Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), Cross-track Infrared and Microwave Sounding Suite (CrIMSS), and Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI)) on the model representation of the tropopause fold and an associated high wind event that impacted the Northeast United States on 09 February 2013. Model simulations using the Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting Model (ARW) were conducted on a 12-km grid with cycled data assimilation mimicking the operational North American Model (NAM). The results from the satellite assimilation run are compared to a control experiment (without hyperspectral IR retrievals), Modern Era-Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) reanalysis, and Rapid Refresh analyses.

Berndt, E. B.↗

NASA NTRS2013

The Impact of the Assimilation of Hyperspectral Infrared Retrieved Profiles on Advanced Weather and Research Model Simulations of a Non-Convective Wind Event

Non-convective wind events commonly occur with passing extratropical cyclones and have significant societal and economic impacts. Since non-convective winds often occur in the absence of specific phenomena such as a thunderstorm, tornado, or hurricane, the public are less likely to heed high wind warnings and continue daily activities. Thus non-convective wind events result in as many fatalities as straight line thunderstorm winds. One physical explanation for non-convective winds includes tropopause folds. Improved model representation of stratospheric air and associated non-convective wind events could improve non-convective wind forecasts and associated warnings. In recent years, satellite data assimilation has improved skill in forecasting extratropical cyclones; however errors still remain in forecasting the position and strength of extratropical cyclones as well as the tropopause folding process. The goal of this study is to determine the impact of assimilating satellite temperature and moisture retrieved profiles from hyperspectral infrared (IR) sounders (i.e. Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), Cross-track Infrared and Microwave Sounding Suite (CrIMSS), and Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI)) on the model representation of the tropopause fold and an associated high wind event that impacted the Northeast United States on 09 February 2013. Model simulations using the Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting Model (ARW) were conducted on a 12-km grid with cycled data assimilation mimicking the operational North American Model (NAM). The results from the satellite assimilation run are compared to a control experiment (without hyperspectral IR retrievals), Modern Era-Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) reanalysis, and Rapid Refresh analyses.

Berndt, Emily↗

NASA NTRS2014

Impact of the Assimilation of Hyperspectral Infrared Retrieved Profiles on Advanced Weather and Research Model Simulations of a Non-Convective Wind Event

Non-convective wind events commonly occur with passing extratropical cyclones and have significant societal and economic impacts. Since non-convective winds often occur in the absence of specific phenomena such as a thunderstorm, tornado, or hurricane, the public are less likely to heed high wind warnings and continue daily activities. Thus non-convective wind events result in as many fatalities as straight line thunderstorm winds. One physical explanation for non-convective winds includes tropopause folds. Improved model representation of stratospheric air and associated non-convective wind events could improve non-convective wind forecasts and associated warnings. In recent years, satellite data assimilation has improved skill in forecasting extratropical cyclones; however errors still remain in forecasting the position and strength of extratropical cyclones as well as the tropopause folding process. The goal of this study is to determine the impact of assimilating satellite temperature and moisture retrieved profiles from hyperspectral infrared (IR) sounders (i.e. Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), Cross-track Infrared and Microwave Sounding Suite (CrIMSS), and Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI)) on the model representation of the tropopause fold and an associated high wind event that impacted the Northeast United States on 09 February 2013. Model simulations using the Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting Model (ARW) were conducted on a 12-km grid with cycled data assimilation mimicking the operational North American Model (NAM). The results from the satellite assimilation run are compared to a control experiment (without hyperspectral IR retrievals), Modern Era-Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) reanalysis, and Rapid Refresh analyses.

Berndt, E. B.↗

NASA NTRS2016

The Mexican Drought Atlas: Tree-Ring Reconstructions of the Soil Moisture Balance During the Late Pre-Hispanic, Colonial, and Modern Eras

Mexico has suffered a long history and prehistory of severe sustained drought. Drought over Mexico is modulated by ocean-atmospheric variability in the Atlantic and Pacific, raising the possibility for long-range seasonal climate forecasting, which could help mediate the economic and social impacts of future dry spells. The instrumental record of Mexican climate is very limited before 1920, but tree-ring chronologies developed from old-growth forests in Mexico can provide an excellent proxy representation of the spatial pattern and intensity of past moisture regimes useful for the analysis of climate dynamics and climate impacts. The Mexican Drought Atlas (MXDA) has been developed from an extensive network of 252 climate sensitive tree-ring chronologies in and near Mexico. The MXDA reconstructions extend from 1400 CE-2012 and were calibrated with the instrumental summer (JJA) self-calibrating Palmer Drought Severity Index (scPDSI) on a 0.5deg latitude/longitude grid extending over land areas from 14 to 34degN and 75-120degW using Ensemble Point-by-Point Regression (EPPR) for the 1944-1984 period. The grid point reconstructions were validated for the period 1920-1943 against instrumental gridded scPDSI values based on the fewer weather station observations available during that interval. The MXDA provides a new spatial perspective on the historical impacts of moisture extremes over Mexico during the past 600-years, including the Aztec Drought of One Rabbit in 1454, the drought of El Ano de Hambre in 1785-1786, and the drought that preceded the Mexican Revolution of 1909-1910. The El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the most important ocean-atmospheric forcing of moisture variability detected with the MXDA. In fact, the reconstructions suggest that the strongest central equatorial Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) teleconnection to the soil moisture balance over North America may reside in northern Mexico. This ENSO signal has stronger and more time-stable correlations than computed for either the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation or Pacific Decadal Oscillation. The extended Multivariate ENSO Index is most highly correlated with reconstructed scPDSI over northern Mexico, where warm events favor moist conditions during the winter, spring, and early summer. This ENSO teleconnection to northern Mexico has been strong over the past 150 years, but it has been comparatively weak and non-stationary in the MXDA over central and southern Mexico where eastern tropical Pacific and Caribbean/tropical Atlantic SSTs seem to be more important. The ENSO teleconnection to northern Mexico is weaker in the available instrumental PDSI, but analyses based on the millennium climate simulations with the Community Earth System Model suggest that the moisture balance during the winter, spring, and early summer over northern Mexico may indeed be particularly sensitive to ENSO forcing. Nationwide drought is predicted to become more common with anthropogenic climate change, but the MXDA reconstructions indicate that intense "All Mexico" droughts have been rare over the past 600 years and their frequency does not appear to have increased substantially in recent decades.

El Nino↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Progress Toward Evaluating Roughness-Resolved Aerothermodynamic Simulations for the Mars Sample Return Earth Entry System

This work pursues the efficient Navier-Stokes simulation, using NASA’s standard LAURA and DPLR simulation tools, of the flowfield and convective heating resulting from the patterned-roughness surface of the Mars Sample Return (MSR) Earth Entry System (EES). This type of simulation has been infeasible for past NASA missions. However, for EES, the combination of a patterned roughness heatshield approximated with a sinusoidal pattern, the zero degrees angle of attack nominal flow, and the supersonic boundary layer edge Mach number, all combine to make these roughness resolved grid simulations feasible. The patterned roughness and zero degrees angle of attack nominal flow allow the simulation domain to be reduced to a thin axial flowfield slice that captures a minimum of single period of the roughness pattern. With a periodic boundary condition applied along the boundaries of this slice, simulation on the reduced domain is identical to the full domain but with significant cost saving. The supersonic boundary layer edge Mach number prevents the upstream influence, which allows the smooth stagnation region to be frozen. This freezing of the stagnation region flow is required because of the numerical instability resulting from the tight spacing of the grid in the axial direction as the stagnation point is approached. Applying the developed analysis approach to a peak heating EES case results in a roughness augmentation factor for the convective heating of 1.32, which agrees well with correlations that predict values between 1.30 and 1.37. Analysis approach developed in this work provides the framework for future studies of turbulence modeling impacts and the influence of an ablating surface.

Earth Entry System↗

DOE OSTI2021

Sequence Impedance Measurement of Utility-Scale Wind Turbines and Inverters – Reference Frame, Frequency Coupling, and MIMO/SISO Forms

Sequence impedance responses with or without considering frequency coupling in both MIMO and SISO forms are increasingly used for the stability analysis of three-phase power electronic systems; however, many aspects of sequence impedance measurement are not fully explored. It is not clear if the sequence impedance has a reference frame similar to the dq impedance. If so, the role of the grid voltage angle estimation in aligning the sequence impedance reference frame has not been discussed. Additionally, existing methods for measuring the sequence impedance with frequency coupling are complicated, are not feasible for large wind turbines and inverters, and provide the sequence impedance responses in only either MIMO or SISO form. This paper presents a sequence impedance measurement method that considers the frequency coupling, performs reference frame alignment, demonstrates the impact of the grid voltage angle estimation, and obtains the sequence impedance response in both MIMO and SISO forms. This paper demonstrates the proposed method and practical problems associated with the sequence impedance measurement of utility-scale wind turbines and inverters on a 1.9-MW Type III wind turbine and a 2.2-MVA inverter using an impedance measurement system built around a 7-MW/13.8-kV grid simulator and a 5-MW dynamometer.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

Enabling Extended-Term Simulation of Power Systems with High PV Penetration. Final Report

This is the final Technical Report for DOE-SETO Project Award # DE-EE0036461. The goal of this project is to advance the understanding of the grid impact of high penetration of photovoltaic (PV) generation by developing novel numerical methods to solve the differential algebraic equations (DAEs) that define power systems. This will overcome the limitations of current software packages – namely that they only consider fast dynamics over brief time periods. The work presented in this final project report covers results over the entire period of the project. This includes results on model development, code development for the PST repository, datasets in the PST repository, algorithm development and results from variable time-step simulations, development and results from multirate simulations, and sensitivity analysis of key parameter in variable time-step methods. In addition, this report discusses project outreach activities to stakeholders, and a summary of project products. Also covered in this final report is the writing of two conference papers (one of which has already been accepted) and a journal paper. In addition, the updating of two inverter models (both grid forming and grid following) to be compatible with the latest version of PST software is discussed.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Comparative Life Cycle Analysis of Carbon Dioxide Utilization in Concrete Products

In this study, a comparative LCA of CO2U concrete processes is conducted, revealing promise in several research areas. The environmental impacts of replacing conventional binder and aggregates with carbonated steel slag and direct carbonation of concrete are investigated in ten different product systems, which include both ready-mix and pre-cast concretes. The results indicate that cement substitution, CO2 uptake, electricity consumption, and the electricity grid mix constitute critical levers for deep decarbonization of concrete building materials. This presentation applies LCA to inform the use of CO2U concrete technology pathways in the design of sustainable concrete while promoting transparency and rational assumptions in the presence of uncertainty. Broader themes in the work include LCA of emerging technologies and the sensitivity of LCA results to co-product management methods.

Clarke, James↗

DOE OSTI2021

Resilience in an Age of Increasing Electrification

The purpose of this paper is to outline considerations of global electrification trends that include the resultant system-wide and nation-wide impacts. How we incorporate resilience into the electrification plans that transition a nation from conventional energy sources to secure clean energy sources can impact the success of those transitions. Electrification of energy systems has the potential to impact power system planning, emissions, and security; however, little research has been done on comprehensive solutions for incorporating resilience into the electrification process. Research has been conducted on aspects of the energy system and electrification, but not holistically across disciplines and related to the interdependencies of different components of the grid system. This gap in research provides an opportunity for more analysis and a collection of best practices to incorporate resilience into electrification plans. Although clean energy is the goal of an increasing number of nations worldwide, there are many considerations in designing clean energy transitions and increased electrification. Resilience must be factored into clean energy transitions from planning, market design, and policies to modernized grid structures and new, location-specific dispersed energy and energy storage technologies.

clean energy↗

DOE OSTI2025

Economic Storage Size Optimization for Electric Vehicle Extreme-Fast Charging Stations

En-route charging infrastructure for electric vehicles is critical to support transportation needs. These charging stations are likely to have high loads and especially sharp peak loads given fast charging capabilities needed to meet transportation schedules. In order to reduce both strain on distribution grid infrastructure and charging station operational costs, many stations are likely to employ behind the meter storage. This paper demonstrates a behind the meter storage sizing optimization that employs an open-source agent-based vehicle behavior model (BEAM) to determine the best sizing across many scenarios. This optimization and analysis is novel in that it examines how storage size impacts not only charging station cost and peak load, but also vehicle queue times. The optimization is also applied across a wide analysis region with sufficient diversity and numbers to provide novel statistical analysis of optimal sizes.

Aka, Julius↗

DOE OSTI2020

Variable Renewable Energy Grid Integration Studies: A Guidebook for Practitioners

This guidebook provides power system planners with a brief but comprehensive summary of the strategies, best practices, and terminology associated with conducting a high-impact grid integration study. The objective is to provide practical guidance to teams that are in the initial stages of designing a grid integration study effort. Though this guidance is broadly applicable to most power systems, it emphasizes considerations relevant to developing economies, drawing on experiences from efforts by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support this type of analysis with its partner countries.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

NASA NTRS1982

Impact of Demographic Siting Criteria and Environmental Suitability on Land Availability for Nuclear Reactor Siting

The effect of population and certain environmental characteristics on the availability of land for siting nuclear power plants was assessed. The study area, consisting of the 48 contiguous states, was divided into 5 kilometer (km) square grid cells yielding a total of 600,000 cells. Through the use of a modern geographic information system, it was possible to provide a detailed analysis of a quite large area. Numerous maps and statistical tables were produced, the detail of which were limited only by available data. Evaluation issues included population density, restricted lands, seismic hardening, site preparation, water availability, and cost factors.

Hansen, K. L.↗

DOE OSTI2024

A global urban heat island intensity dataset: Generation, comparison, and analysis

The urban heat island (UHI) effect, a phenomenon of local warming over urban areas, is the most well-known impact of urbanization on climate. Globally consistent estimates of the UHI intensity (UHII) are crucial for examining this phenomenon across time and space. However, publicly available UHII datasets are limited and have several constraints: (1) they are for clear-sky surface UHII, not all-sky surface UHII and canopy (air temperature) UHII; (2) the estimation methods often neglect anthropogenic disturbance, introducing uncertainties in the estimated UHII. To address these issues, this study proposes a new dynamic equal-area (DEA) method that can minimize the influence of various confounding factors on UHII estimates through a dynamic cyclic process. Utilizing the DEA method and leveraging various gridded temperature data, we develop a global-scale (>10,000 cities), long-term (over 20 years by month), and multi-faceted (clear-sky surface, all-sky surface, and canopy) UHII dataset. Further, based on these estimates, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the UHII and its trends in global cities. The UHII is found to be greater than zero in >80% of cities, with global annual average magnitudes around 1.0 °C (day) and 0.8 °C (night) for surface UHII, and close to 0.5 °C for canopy UHII. Furthermore, an interannual upward trend in UHII is observed in >60% of cities, with global annual average trends exceeding 0.1 °C/decade (day) and over 0.06 °C/decade (night) for surface UHII, and slightly surpassing 0.03 °C/decade for canopy UHII. Notably, there exists a positive correlation between the magnitude and trend of UHII, suggesting that cities with stronger UHII tend to experience faster growth in UHII. Additionally, discrepancies in UHII are found between different temperature data, stemming not only from distinctions in data types (surface or air temperature) but also from differences in data acquisition times (Terra or Aqua), weather conditions (clear-sky or all-sky), and processing methodologies (with or without gap filling). Overall, our proposed method, dataset, and analysis results have the potential to provide valuable insights for future urban climate studies. The UHII dataset is publicly available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24821538.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

Structural Impact of Grid-Forming Inverters on Power System Coherency

This paper addresses the following fundamental research question: how does the integration of grid-forming inverters (GFMs) replacing conventional synchronous generators (SGs) impact the slow coherent eigen-structure and the low frequency oscillatory behavior of future power systems? Due to time-scale separated dynamics, generator states inside a coherent area synchronize over a fast time-scale due to stronger coupling, while the areas themselves synchronize over a slower time scale. Our mathematical analysis shows that due to the large-scale integration of GFMs, the weighted Laplacian structure of the frequency dynamics is preserved, however, the entries of the Laplacian may be significantly modified based on the location and penetration levels of the GFMs. This can impact and potentially significantly alter the coherency structure of the system. We have validated our findings with numerical results using the IEEE 68-bus test system.

Mukherjee, Sayak [BATTELLE (PACIFIC NW LAB)]↗

DOE OSTI2024

Impact Study of Thunderstorms on the US Power Grid Using Publicly Available Datasets

This work analyzes the impact of thunderstorms on the US power grid based on publicly available data. Since thunderstorms can bring lightning, heavy precipitation, and wind storms, analyzing their impact on the power system provides a combined correlation of lightning strikes, floods, and wind storms on power outages. This paper leverages publicly available thunderstorm datasets from the National Weather Service (NWS) and power outage datasets from Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Environment for Analysis of Geo-Located Energy Information (EAGLE-I) to study the correlation between thunderstorms and power outages. This work is analyzing the patterns of thunderstorms from 2013-2022, which shows that the thunderstorms are not slowing down and will seem to continue their impact on human life in the future. This work also analyzes the monthly and yearly pattern of the impact of thunderstorms on power systems at the national, state, and county level.

Bhusal, Narayan↗