Grid impact studies were performed on remote electric power systems to assess the renewable generation penetration limit on identified communities. Knowing the renewable penetration limit of an electric grid allows renewable resource technology to be implemented without having a negative effect on systems frequency or voltage stability. This ensures the delivery and reliably of power to a community in the process of designing and introducing the implementation of renewables.
The “Barriers of Integrating Renewables” and “Energy Storage Control” projects have combined resources to accelerate the deliverables by the fall of this year. These two projects aimed to automate the grid impact study that one must perform to ensure system stability when integrating a large amount of renewable generation on remote communities, so that the utilities can support the integration of renewables while ensuring safe and reliable energy delivery to their customers.
The main objectives of these projects include:
- Determine all technical barriers to integrating a high penetration of renewable generation on an isolated diesel-based system.
- Develop a tool to assess the specific bottlenecks of implementing renewable generation on a specific site, as well as identify the sensitivities to the identified limit and bottlenecks.
- Automate the grid impact study tool so that it can be replicated throughout communities in the Canadian territories, while identifying required data and parameters to ensure that the results are to the specific community.
- Identify energy storage technologies that are viable in the north and validate their control strategies through simulation.
- Determine a means to optimize the sizing of storage systems to meet certain objectives while respecting operating and interconnection constraints.
NEI is aiming to step away from blanket statements by automating the grid impact study to assess the renewable generation penetration limit on individual communities. By modelling specific communities into the developed framework, we can ensure that the limits are pertinent to that system, but the analyses are standardized to identify not only the limit but the limiting factors and sensitivities that prevent a higher penetration. We are working closely with both Vuntut Gwitchin Government (VGG), as the Independent Power Producer, and ATCO Electric Yukon, as the utility partner, to ensure a responsible implementation and to create a library and database of real and industry standard equipment models that can be used when using this tool on other systems in the north. While the Old Crow system is the first to be implemented in this tool, this tool will be very useful for communities across the northern territories interested in implementing renewable energy into their existing power systems.
Dr. Michael Ross, Program Lead, Industrial Research Chair for Colleges in Northern Energy Innovation, Yukon Research Centre, Yukon College
Sara Thompson, Program Enhancement Officer, Northern Energy Innovation, Yukon Research Centre, Yukon College
Jason Zrum, Project Lead, Northern Energy Innovation, Yukon Research Centre, Yukon College
- Spencer Ryan Deehr Sumanik, Northern Energy Innovation, Yukon Research Centre, Yukon College
- Tarek Bos-Jabbar, Northern Energy Innovation, Yukon Research Centre, Yukon College
- Geneviève Favreau, Northern Energy Innovation, Yukon Research Centre, Yukon College
- Sinan Bulut, Northern Energy Innovation, Yukon Research Centre, Yukon College
- Tanvir Rahman, Northern Energy Innovation, Yukon Research Centre, Yukon College
- John Ross, Northern Energy Innovation, Yukon Research Centre, Yukon College
- Rosamond Tutton, Northern Energy Innovation, Yukon Research Centre, Yukon College
- Nick Starr, Northern Energy Innovation, Yukon Research Centre, Yukon College
- Elise Brown-Dussault, Northern Energy Innovation, Yukon Research Centre, Yukon College