0000000000116889
AUTHOR
Diego Arnone
Green Data Centres providing ancillary services to power grid
This work investigates the possibility for a Data Centre to provide services to the Grid. In particular, the paper simulates a sudden shift of frequency because of a power decrease and estimates how a real-life Data Centre can contribute the secondary frequency regulation.
Energy management of multi-carrier smart buildings for integrating local renewable energy systems
The proposed paper aims at defining a Building Management System (BMS) able to control energy flows inside a smart building integrated with various energy networks and Renewable Energy Resources (RES). The smart building envisaged in this work interacts with different energy carriers and is equipped with cogeneration and RES systems, as well as storage devices, which enable a certain degree of flexibility in the energy usage. The smart building is modelled as a multi-carrier hub, by defining the graphical and mathematical model of the building system. Moreover, the control criteria of the BMS are explained and the implementation of the BMS itself is depicted, along with some early results. …
DEMAND Project: An algorithm for the assessment of the prosumers’ flexibility
Demand side aggregation represents an important opportunity for ancillary services provision due to the potential that the coordinated management of distributed resources has on affecting power systems' operation. In this framework, the Aggregator has a main role and takes on different relationships with the other actors of the power system, usually becoming a mediator between the prosumers and the distribution system operator. The DEMAND project introduces a new point of view in demand side aggregation by proposing a new framework where the Aggregator is no more needed and prosumers can share and combine their flexibility in a new aggregation platform called Virtual Aggregation Environment…
Urban Energy Hubs and Microgrids: Smart Energy Planning for Cities
In this chapter, we try to connect the urban design features with energy consumption and consequent pollution parameters. After a review of a selected set of approaches to Urban Energy Systems study with a special focus on electrical power systems, urban energy systems are proposed as networks of multi-source hybrid energy hubs, where different energy flows are collected at the same bus and can be stored, delivered or transformed as needed. Resources at the hub and infrastructures interact with each other; therefore, both definition and boundaries of such energy systems at urban level are difficult to be clearly outlined. Similarly, the possibility to generate new operational models based o…
Green Data Centres integration in smart grids: New frontiers for ancillary service provision
Abstract The paper presents a study, conceived within the GEYSER FP7 co-funded European research project, on the ancillary services that Green Data Centres (GDCs) can provide, focusing, in particular, on spinning reserve. More in detail, the main contribution of the paper is to show how GDCs can be involved in the secondary frequency regulation process of a smart distribution grid, for contrasting the disturbing effects of unexpected variation of the energy production. With this aim, a real data centre, owned by Engineering S.p.A., is simulated as connected to the Medium Voltage IEEE 14-bus test grid where some RES-based generators are supposed to exist. Simulations are carried out in order…
Smart multi-carrier energy system: Optimised energy management and investment analysis
This paper proposes an optimised Energy Management System for a multi-carrier hub, which integrates two energy distribution networks, for hydrogen and electricity. The economic sustainability of a real-life instantiation of such a system has been analysed as well. The Energy Management System has been developed by means of a multi-objective optimisation algorithm, the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II, implemented using MATLAB®. The achieved results consist in a series of set-points defining the working conditions of the plant for a chosen time horizon. Data provided by this process also show the effectiveness of the adopted optimisation approach. The financial analysis is performe…
A Methodology for Exploiting Smart Prosumers’ Flexibility in a Bottom-Up Aggregation Process
The electrical power system is evolving in a way that requires new measures for ensuring its secure and reliable operation. Demand-side aggregation represents one of the more interesting ways to provide ancillary services by the coordinated management of a multitude of different distributed resources. In this framework, aggregators play the main role in ensuring the effectiveness of the coordinated action of the distributed resources, usually becoming mediators in the relation between distribution system operators and smart prosumers. The research project DEMAND recently introduced a new concept in demand-side aggregation by proposing a scheme without a central aggregator where prosumers ca…
DEMAND Project: Bottom-Up Aggregation of Prosumers in Distribution Networks
The paper explains the concept of the DEMAND project, whose aim is to develop a technical framework for allowing a Bottom-Up aggregation of prosumers connected to the distribution grid. Load and generation aggregation is a very current issue given the great potential that the coordinated management of distributed resources has on power systems operation and design. The novelty in DEMAND is the absence of a physical aggregator and the recourse to a virtual aggregation environment (VAE) for allowing the exchange of information among the prosumers in order to provide a service to the DSO. After a general description of the research project, the paper presents the services that the aggregated c…
Mixed heuristic-non linear optimization of energy management for hydrogen storage-based multi carrier hubs
In this paper, an heuristic and non-linear programming based algorithm to optimally operate an energy hub plant is proposed. The energy hub plant described in this work is the test system for the European INGRID research project. The Energy Management System defines the optimal energy flows dispatch in order to obtain the energy balance and the maximum profit for the owner of the plant. The problem is highly constrained and non-linear, for this reason the methodology cannot rely on Linear Programming (LP) methods. The Energy Management System manages two energy carriers, electricity and hydrogen, interfacing three distribution networks: the electricity, the hydrogen and the methane networks…
Smart grid integrated green data centres as ancillary service providers
In this paper a review of Green Data Centres facilities to support smart grids operation is proposed. The paper describes the ancillary services a Green Data Centre can provide both in terms of spinning reserve provision and different regulation services. In the application section, a real electrical grid hosting a data centre is considered. The infrastructure is owned by Engineering S.p.A. and is installed in northern Italy. The system has been considered as connected to the MV distribution grid in presence of other renewable energy sources. The impact of possible power management operations over the considered data centre has been studied by means of a simulation software and the spinning…
Predictions in Resilient Hybrid AC/DC Grids Leveraged by an Interoperable and Secure ICT Platform
Power systems are undergoing a significant change and the main elements to address the new challenges is the new key-role played by the distribution grid and its transformation into a smart grid. While the distribution grid has traditionally operated with alternating current (AC), nowadays most devices operate with DC internally, and most distributed renewable resources generate power in DC. Furthermore, storage components, such as batteries and supercapacitors, have a DC character. DC seems to be the one of the most promising candidates to avoid stranded investments and to guarantee incredible saving for the community in Europe, making the transition to a fully decarbonised energy system a…
A novel heuristics-based energy management system for a multi-carrier hub enriched with solid hydrogen storage
In this paper, an efficient optimization algorithm for the energy management of a grid-connected energy hub plant is proposed. The Simulated Annealing algorithm is adopted for the solution of the energy management problem aiming at the profit maximization for the owner of the energy hub plant. The use of a heuristic algorithm was required by the non-linearity of the efficiencies of each component in the energy transformation stages. The proposed heuristics is applied to a large energy hub, corresponding to the simulation of the test-bed that is being designed and developed inside the ongoing INGRID European research project.