Blackstart capability demonstration of a battery energy storage system using EMT simulation and on-site measurement

In recent years, climate change has led to increasingly severe weather phenomena, which have undermined the reliability of power grids. Considering this, the public is now demanding that grid operators accelerate the energy transition and the integration of new, cleaner technologies, while maintaining or even improving grid reliability. For this reason, Hydro-Quebec has launched a pilot project to install a battery energy storage system (BESS) in a remote village that is connected to the main transmission grid by a 60 km high-voltage transmission line. This line is at the end of its useful life and requires major work. Two of the main functionalities required for the BESS are to function in islanded mode with the local load and to have the ability to perform a cold load pick-up following a blackstart. Numerous EMTP simulations has demonstrated that the BESS can perform cold load pick-up and that its behaviour is different from a diesel generator (DG). The measurements taken during the network test show that the simulation models are fairly accurate for this type of phenomenon.