7. Advanced GRID TEchnologies Maximum Phase I Award Amount: $200,000 Maximum Phase II Award Amount: $1,100,000 Accepting SBIR Phase I Applications: YES Accepting STTR Phase I Applications: NO The electric power grid is facing increasing stress due to fundamental changes in both supply-side and demand-side technologies. On the supply-side, there is a shift from large synchronous generators to smaller, lighter units (e.g., gas-fired turbines) and variable energy resources (e.g., renewables) with utility scale energy storage. On the demand-side, there is a growing number of distributed energy resources, as well as a shift from large induction motors to rapidly increasing use of electronic converters in buildings, industrial equipment, and consumer devices. The monitoring and control systems used for operations are also transitioning from analog systems to systems with increasing data streams and more digital control and communications; from systems with a handful of control points at central stations to ones with potentially millions of control points. Grid modernization will require the adoption of advanced technologies, such as smart meters, automated feeder switches, fiber optic and wireless networks, energy storage, and other new hardware. It must also encompass and enable the application of intelligent devices, next-generation components, cybersecurity protections, advanced grid modeling and applications, distributed energy resources, and innovative architectures. Integration of these technologies will require a new communication and control layer to manage a changing mix of supply- and demand-side resources, evolving threats, and to provide new services. The transition to a modern grid will create new technical challenges for an electric power system that was not designed for today's requirements. Customers have never relied more on electricity, nor been so involved in where and how it is generated, stored, and used. Utilities will continue retrofitting the existing infrastructure with a variety of smart digital devices and communication technologies needed to enable the distributed, two-way flow of information and energy. Reliability, resilience, and security will remain a top priority as aging infrastructure and changing demand, supply, and market structures create new operational challenges. All applications to this topic should: Be consistent with and have performance metrics (whenever possible) linked to published, authoritative analyses in your technology space. Clearly define the merit of the proposed innovation compared to competing approaches and the anticipated outcome. Emphasize the commercialization potential of the overall effort and provide a path to scale up in potential Phase II follow-on work. Include quantitative projections for price and/or performance improvement that are tied to representative values included in authoritative publications or in comparison to existing products. Fully justify all performance claims with thoughtful theoretical predictions and/or experimental data. Grant applications are sought in the following subtopics: a. Advanced Protective Relaying Technologies and Tools The reliability of an electric transmission or distribution system in response to a fault is heavily dependent upon the underlying protection scheme that is being utilized to identify and respond to that fault. The equipment that forms the basis of these schemes include: Protective relays which respond to electrical quantities, Communications systems necessary for correct operation of protective functions, Voltage and current sensing devices providing inputs to protective relays, Station dc supply associated with protective functions (including station batteries, battery chargers, and non-battery-based dc supply), and Control circuitry associated with protective functions through the trip coil(s) of the circuit breakers or other interrupting devices. Innovative advancements in protective relaying systems are almost limitless, which is why this topic area is focused more on reducing or eliminating those aspects that inhibit the performance and reliability of the elements in this field while improving the resiliency of such elements. Examples of such innovation include but are not limited to: Dynamic, adaptive or setting-less relays; Distinguishing between momentary and permanent faults; Misoperation reduction; and hidden failures. Collaboration with protection device manufacturers and utility protection engineers is strongly encouraged. Questions Contact: David Howard, david.howard@hq.doe.gov b. New Methods for Training Operators Leveraging Advances in Cognitive Science As the grid has evolved, it has continued to become increasingly complex. At the same time, our reliance on electricity has grown and tolerance for power interruptions have decreased. This means that new operators are entering into an increasingly demanding environment and may not have much time to learn through trial and experience on the job. Additionally, system operators are facing these new challenges as the workforce is aging stressing existing operator training norms. New methods or simulators for training system operators are needed to help train the changing workforce. Understanding what system operators require to make informed decisions and analysis, human factors innovation in visualization and decision making can enable more effective training for new operators. Training methods that are able to help the operator learn the uniqueness of the system they will be operating, as opposed to a generic power systems, are needed to meet the growing complexity of the system. Applications to this subtopic should consider: State of the art of human factors and cognitive science research State of the art visualization methods, including tools not traditionally used in the power sector User training and ease of user experience Multi-sector system training given electricity system interdependences with other sectors (such as natural gas). Collaboration with power system operators and utility engineers is strongly encouraged. Questions Contact: Sandra Jenkins, sandra.jenkins@hq.doe.gov References: Subtopic a: 1. Schweitzer, E.O., III, Fleming, B., Lee, T.J., Anderson, P.M. Reliability Analysis of Transmission Protection Using Fault Tree Analysis Methods. 24th Annual Western Protective Relay Conference, SEL and Power Math Associates, USA, p. 18., 1998, https://selinc.cachefly.net/assets/Literature/Publications/Technical%20Papers/6060_ReliabilityAnalysis_Web.pdf?v=20151204-152929 2. Scheer, G.W., Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. Answering Substation Automation Questions Through Fault Tree Analysis. 4th Annual Substation Automation Conference, p. 30, 1998, https://cdn.selinc.com/assets/Literature/Publications/Technical%20Papers/6073_AnsweringSubstation_Web.pdf 3. Sandoval, R., Santana, C.A.V., Schwartz, R.A., et al. Using Fault Tree Analysis to Evaluate Protection Scheme Redundancy. 37th Annual Western Protective Relay Conference, p. 21, 2010, https://static.selinc.com/assets/Literature/Publications/Technical%20Papers/6461_UsingFaultTree_HA_20101018_Web.pdf?v=20150812-152037 4. Depablos, J., Ree, J.D.L., Centeno, V. Identifying Distribution Protection System Vulnerabilities Prompted by the Addition of Distributed Generation. 2nd International Conference on Critical Infrastructures, Grenoble, p. 3, 2004, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/252155192_IDENTIFYING_DISTRIBUTION_PROTECTION_SYSTEM_VULNERABILITIES_PROMPTED_BY_THE_ADDITION_OF_DISTRIBUTED_GENERATION 5. Sakis Meliopoulos, A. P., Yang, F., Cokkinides, G. J., Binh Dam, Q. Effects of Protection System Hidden Failures on Bulk Power System Reliability. 2006 38th North American Power Symposium, IEEE, 2006, http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/4201364/ 6. McCalley, J., Oluwaseyi, O., Krishnan, V., et al. System Protection Schemes: Limitation, Risks, and Management. Final Project Report, Power Systems Engineering Research Center (PSERC), p. 6, 2010, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277330229_System_Protection_Schemes_Limitations_Risks_and_Management 7. Azarm, M.A., Bari, R., Yue, M., Musicki, Z. Electrical Substation Reliability Evaluation with Emphasis on Evolving Interdependance on Communication Infrastructure. 8th International Conference on Probabilistic Method Applied to Power Systems, Brookhaven National Laboratory, BNL-73108-2004-CP, 2004, https://www.bnl.gov/isd/documents/26662.pdf 8. Wang, F. Reliability Evaluation of Substations Subject to Protection Failures. Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands, p. 110, 2012, http://repository.tudelft.nl/islandora/object/uuid:ca5075ff-c0ed-4f54-9b5e-db17eb0fc3cb/?collection=research 9. Kezunovic, M. A Survey of Engineering Tools for Protective Relaying. TuDelft, Electra N 225, p. 26-30, 2012, http://smartgridcenter.tamu.edu/resume/pdf/j/electra06.pdf References: Subtopic b: 1. Stevens-Adams, S., Cole, K., Haass, M., Warrender, C., Jeffers, R., Burnham, L., Forsythe, C. Situation Awareness and Automation in the Electric Grid Control Room. Procedia Manufacturing, Volume 3, 2015, Pages 5277-5284, ISSN 2351-9789, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351978915006101 2. Fink, R., Hill, D., O'Hara, J. Human Factors Guidance for Control Room and Digital Human-System Interface Design and Modification. EPRI, November 2004, https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/835085 3. Federal Aviation Administration Human Factors Division https://www.hf.faa.gov/ 4. ABB, How to enhance control room operator capacities: human factors and ergonomics 2020, https://new.abb.com/control-rooms/features/how-to-enhance-control-room-operator-capacities 5. Smallman, H., Rieth, C. ADVICE: Decision Support for Complex Geospatial Decision Making Tasks. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics), 453-465. 10.1007/978-3-319-57987-0_37, 2017, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317175215_ADVICE_Decision_Support_for_Complex_Geospatial_Decision_Making_Tasks
