Digital Twin for Resilient Power Distribution Systems

Heightened awareness of the impact of climate change has led to the rapidly increasing penetration of renewable energy resources in electric energy distribution systems. Those distributed energy resources (DERs), mostly inverter-based, can act as resilience sources for the grid but also introduce new control, stability, and cybersecurity challenges. This work proposes a digital twin (DT) that combines a real-time electromagnetic transient power system simulation and a practical model for communication network simulation. The digital twin allows the testing of novel control and cybersecurity strategies, including machine learning-based anomaly detection. Simulations using the Virginia Tech Electric Service (VTES) as a test case demonstrate the capability of adequately controlled resources, including solar PV, energy storage, and a synchronous generator, to enhance resilience by providing energy to critical loads. The DERs comply with IEEE disturbance ride-through requirements, and switching transients are maintained within acceptable limits. A comprehensive DER-based resilience plan is developed and validated for the Virginia Tech Smart Grid.