Pushing the envelope of ancillary services with variable speed technology

Abstract

Hydropower is the backbone of energy transition thanks to its operational flexibility and ability to provide ancillary services. These grid support capabilities are called upon to play a major role to maintain the grid vulnerability at acceptable levels in view of the increasing penetration of stochastic and intermittent renewable energies. In this context, variable speed reversible pump-turbine technology is a key asset as it can extend the head operating range of a powerplant, enable power network control in pump mode and further increase the flexibility services to the electrical grid. Furthermore, by taking advantage of the so-called flywheel effect, variable speed enables the fast active power injection/absorption in pumping and generating mode. The additional degree of freedom offered by the variable speed opens the door to different control strategies for the hydroelectric plant, as the converter can be used for speed or power control. This can be exploited to maximize either the efficiency or the power reserve dedicated to grid support. In this paper, the strategies to maximize the ancillary service of Frades 2 pumped storage power plant (PSPP) are investigated. The plant features two high-head single-stage reversible variable speed units, coupled with 420 MVA doubly-fed induction motor-generators (DFIM). Using a 1D numerical model to simulate the power plant behavior, it is explored to which extent Frades 2 can deliver frequency containment reserve (FCR) power, while complying with the ENTSO grid code, and speed deviation constrains inherent to DFIM. By choosing a strategy which fully exploits the flywheel effect, it is established that the FCR power band can be equal to the whole operating range of the power plant. Moreover, the fast frequency response capacity (FFR) is also evaluated. It is found that by maximizing the energy stored in the rotating masses, each unit of Frades 2 can deliver up to 110 MW of active power in 1.3 seconds.

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