More than ever, power grids face external and internal threats and disruptions, constantly challenging grid resilience. To cope with threats, transactive energy systems provide a unique opportunity to incentivize flexibility from both end users and large-scale suppliers. In this regard, the TSP has explored areas including those described below.

Valuing Resilience Services for Grid Planning and Operation

The current utility practices need to be upgraded to reflect comprehensive resilience considerations in grid planning and operation. The emergence of TE and other new systems raises questions about valuing new upgrades. This work systematically approaches the issue and develops a resilience service valuation framework using TSP valuation principles and tools. A three-step procedure outlines the use case, identifies the value of deploying services, and tracks values based on the sequence of activities.

Predicting Grid Outages and TE System Impacts

Simulation of the grid’s performance to a resilience event is computationally challenging and complex, even when using advanced control mechanisms like transactive energy coordination. To help guide the analysts and detailed simulations, this work looks at parametrical modeling of outages to facilitate analyses. The work harmonizes rather than differentiates resilience from reliability to account for any type of grid disturbance and provide efficient mapping of TE system qualities in mitigating them. Click here for more information on the fundamental modeling effort and click here for its extension to be adopted in an evaluation framework. 

Enabling Distributed Black-Start Using Transactive Energy

Distributed black-start, in contrast to conventional, uses DERs to bring power back to the grid instead of large central generators. This work utilizes TE mechanisms to engage endusers to provide flexibility such that they help restore grid operation after a resilience event (such as a power outage). Click here for more information.

Transactive Rationing Mechanism for Addressing Energy Shortages

PNNL’s Transactive Rationing Mechanism attempts to find a better balance between the competing requirements of necessary load curtailment and equitable value-based participation. Power system operators envision defining a power ration objective (level of constrained consumption). The flexible loads are expected to respond to this ration limit by selectively disconnecting loads based on the utility and preferences of their owners. The TESP simulation platform is envisioned to support the transactive rationing mechanism. Click here for more information.