The electricity industry conversion chain

Electrical equipment providers end-use energy forms e.g: light, heat, motive power

Power system operation in a restructured electricity industry

CEEM, 2006

primary energy forms e.g: coal, gas renewable

power stations

electrical energy in the t&d network

end-use equipment

energy losses & external impacts

Power system operation in a restructured electricity industry CEEM 2006

Importance of availability & quality of supply

Electricity industry is a flow industry:
Lack of cost-effective storage of electrical energy:
Supply must meet demand plus network losses at all times

Global supply-demand balance in elec. industry

Prime-mover power (mechanical rotational power)
Thermal Power stations Hydro generators Wind farms, etc.

Electrical power (network losses + loads)

Social expectation of uninterrupted energy services:

Much greater focus on their absence than their presence

Industrial Commercial Residential

Key measures of health of this flow industry:

(un)availability of supply at the point of end-use:
Frequency & duration of supply outages

Quality of supply at the point of end-use:

Voltage & frequency Voltage surges, waveform purity, phase balance

Kinetic energy in rotors of generator & loads connected via the network [KE (frequency)2]

Frequency is a measure of global supply-demand balance:

Rate of change of KE = (mechanical power - electrical power) [Note: electrical power = load power & network losses]

Ever-present threats to availability & quality

Power system operation in a restructured electricity industry CEEM 2006

Power flows & network availability are stochastic processes:

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Power system operation in a restructured electricity industry CEEM 2006

Frequency is always varying

Continuous frequency control

Control signals to turbine power

(based on Wood & Wollenberg Fig 9.2)

Electrical power Turbine-generators Electrical power Tie flow to another power system

Managing global supply-demand balance in traditional power systems

Timescale 1 sec-5 min 5-30 min 1-7 days 1-52 weeks Issues Continuous V & F control: contingencies Economic dispatch: choice of how to use operating generators (& loads) Unit commitment: choice of which generators (or loads) to start (or stop) Fuel & maintenance scheduling

Generation Control system

Generator Power output

Power system

Tie flow to another power system

Frequency measurement Tie flow measurement

Power system operation in a restructured electricity industry CEEM 2006

Power system operation in a restructured electricity industry CEEM 2006

Managing system security in the NEM

Unreachable or unacceptable futures Emergency control Possible futures managed Future state space managed by decentralised by decentralised decisions (market-based) decisions
5 min

Managing overall supply-demand balance in the Australian National Electricity Market

Financial instrument (FI) trading & spot market projections
increasing uncertainty

Present state

Possible futures managed by centralised decisions (NEMMCO)

Spot market for period t

Interactions & constraints

Spot market for period t+1 spot period t spot period t+1 ancillary service actuation markets for period t+1

time

Time
Power system operation in a restructured electricity industry CEEM 2006 Growing uncertainty

forward-looking ancillary service (AS) acquisition markets Power system operation in a restructured electricity industry CEEM 2006

ancillary service actuation markets for period t

A regional electricity network in the NEM context:

Frequency is essentially uniform but voltage is location-specific
Meshed transmission network
Zone substation

Radial distribution network

Small Consumers

Location-specific aspects of electricity industry operation

The scope of an electricity industry:
Defined by the extent of the transmission & distribution network in normal configuration Flow constraints impair industry operation:
Outages of network elements Thermal limits of network elements Unacceptable nodal voltage(s)

Inter-connector to another region

Large Consumers

Transmission (220-500 kV)

Sub-transmission (33-132 kV)

Distribution (11-33kV)

Reticulation (240/415 V)

~
Large Generators 100-700 MVA

~
generally use alternators (ideal voltage sources)

~
Embedded Generators ~30 MVA

may use induction generators

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Power system operation in a restructured electricity industry CEEM 2006

Power system operation in a restructured electricity power CEEM 2006 interfaces or industry electronic

Uncertainty, risk & accountability

Threats to availability & quality of supply:
Causes:
Generator & network outages; design failures; fluctuating renewable energy flows Excessive demand; Human errors

Implications:
Risk = (probability of cause) x (consequence of cause)

Raises issue of accountability:

Decision-maker should be accountable for the consequences of his/her decisions Accountability can be unclear in electricity industry
Power system operation in a restructured electricity industry CEEM 2006

~
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Transmission substation

Thus, availability & voltage-related quality can be location-specific:

Availability & quality may be unsatisfactory at local level
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Accountability in traditional and restructured electricity industries

Traditional power supply industry:
Single body (or close approximation) accountable for electricity supply in all time scales Independent end-users (in nearly all countries)

Restructured electricity industry:

Disaggregated generation & retail sectors but (typically) monopoly network service providers Independent system operator accountable for availability & quality in the short-term (<30 min) Market resolves supply-demand balance (>30 min) Governments may feel liable for long-term planning
Power system operation in a restructured electricity industry CEEM 2006

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Example: North American Blackout, 14/8/03

(https://reports.energy.gov)

Cleveland Ohio area voltages fell & transmission lines tripped due to overload
North to South 345kV Voltage Profile Locations
St. Clair

(blackouts could have been locally contained at this stage)

Over 50 million people affected for many hours 61,800 MW load lost Cost millions of work hours & billions of $ An initially local problem evolved into a major disaster due to poor engineering practice & poor Power system operation in a restructured electricity industry CEEM 2006 accountability

Brownstown Allen Junction

Some Local Load Interrupted

Avon Lake

Harding Juniper

Lemoyne Chamberlin Star

Transmission Lines 765 kV

South Canton Sammis

Areas Affected by the Blackout

Service maintained in some area

500 kV 345 kV 230 kV

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Power system operation in a restructured electricity industry CEEM 2006

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A cascading power system collapse followed

1. 2. 3.

US-Canada inquiry recommendations

(selected & summarised) Make reliability standards mandatory & enforceable & associated costs recoverable Strengthen reliability institutions & clarify their responsibilities Implement better power system monitoring & protection schemes & better IT systems Plan better for future blackouts, which cant be fully prevented from occurring

16:05:57 4. 5.

16:05:58 6.

16:09:25 7.

16:10:37 8.

16:10:39 9.

16:10:40 10.

16:10:41

Power system operation in a restructured electricity industry CEEM 2006 16:10:44 16:10:45

16:13:00

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Power system operation in a restructured electricity industry CEEM 2006

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Summary
Purpose of the electricity industry:
To deliver end-use energy services by means of a continuous flow of electrical energy:
Involves shared operation of a wide range of primary energy resources & end-use equipment

Key features of the electricity industry:

An inherently stochastic industry:
Availability & quality are key indicators of health

Continual threats to availability & quality of supply

Local or global (industry-wide)

Operation & control an essential function:

Shared centralised & decentralised decision-making
Power system operation in a restructured electricity industry CEEM 2006

Many of our publications are available at: www.ceem.unsw.edu.au

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Power system operation in a restructured electricity industry CEEM 2006

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