Title: Power Grid Security, Resilience, and Reliability: Challenges & Approaches
Presenter: Tuyen (Tony) Vu, Ph.D., Coulter School of Engineering, Clarkson University
Time: 15:30 – 16:30, Thursday, April 13, 2023
Location: Room 120, Center for Advanced Power Systems
Abstract: Power grids are transitioning to renewable energy sources, with an estimated 44% of electrical energy (by 2050) in the US coming from renewable sources (> 80% from solar & wind). This transition, by necessity, brings higher levels of digitization in communication and controls. Millions of smart monitoring-and-control devices such as smart meters, phasor measurement units (PMU)) and power generation monitors are being integrated into power grids to increase system situational awareness for optimal control actions. While this modernization for smart measurements, controls, and communication could empower grid operators through faster and more accurate system situational awareness, the distributed nature of IoT devices makes grids vulnerable to widespread cyber threats. Notable examples in cyber-physical systems include the cyber-attacks on the Ukrainian power system, the Colonial pipeline, and the SolarWinds software provider.
In addition to ensuring grid security, there is a comparable level of focus on integrating large inverter-based resource plants (IBRs) like offshore wind (OSW). OSW has become increasingly attractive as an alternative resource for achieving decarbonization goals because the estimated levelized cost of OSW projects has decreased significantly (50% in 2020 compared to 2014). To incorporate multi-GWs OSW plants, large wind turbines (10-20MW) must be deployed. With hundreds of OSW projects in the interconnection pipeline, tens of thousands of wind turbines will be connected to the power grids. However, the high concentrations and penetrations of IBR pose unprecedented challenges to the reliability and resilience of the transmission grids, particularly with regard to control instability, which can cause unit tripping and blackouts due to weak grid voltage fluctuations resulting from contingencies and faults caused by extreme weather or man-made events.
In this talk, three key areas related to the future of power grids will be discussed: Security, Resilience, and Reliability. Firstly, the talk will cover security challenges and advanced monitoring solutions to improve situational awareness in power grids. Next, the focus will shift to controls for energy services systems that can remain resilient even under fault or attack conditions. Finally, the talk will present a case study of a reliable power system with high IBR penetration, specifically offshore wind. The presentation will conclude by discussing research trends related to these three aspects of power grids, particularly in light of the increasing cyber-physical threats and the integration of high-IBRs.
Bio: Tony Tuyen Vu (PhD, PE) received his BS in electrical engineering from Hanoi University of Science Technology, Vietnam, and his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Florida State University in 2016. From 2016 to 2017, he was a postdoctoral research associate at the Florida State University-Center for Advanced Power Systems (FSU-CAPS). From 2017 to 2018, he was a Research Faculty at the same research center. Since July 2018, he has been an Assistant Professor at Clarkson University, NY, USA. He is also an affiliate faculty at FSU-CAPS. His areas of interest include smart grid; power system dynamics, stability, and control; energy management and optimization; power systems cybersecurity, and integration of distributed energy resources into power systems. He was a guest editor of IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics in Feb 2020 for the Special issue on Resilience, Reliability, and Security in Cyber-Physical Systems. He has also chaired and co-chaired sessions of IEEE conferences such as IEEE IECON and IEEE ESTS conferences. Dr. Vu has collaborated with colleagues in academic institutions, national labs, and industries. His research has been funded by NSF, ONR, DOE, and NYSERDA. His work boasts over 70 international publications. He received the first-prize paper award from the IEEE Industrial Electronics Magazine in 2021.
