Prioritizing BESS Selection to Improve System Contingency Responses: Results of a Case Study Conducted Using the SRP Power System

Battery energy storage systems (BESSs) have become integral components of grid modernization because of their ability to provide system stabilization in the presence of high levels of renewable generation. Specifically, the dynamic response capabilities of BESSs can be a valuable tool in ensuring reliability and security of the grid during contingencies. This paper explores the utilization of BESSs in improving the contingency response of the SRP power system by providing selection criteria that enable a viable and cost-effective solution from a planning perspective. In particular, this study focuses on optimal BESS selection from a list of actual queued projects to enhance system stability by maintaining voltage and mitigating fault impacts. Additionally, the work involves generating both normal and abnormal operational scenarios for varying loads and renewable generation profiles of the system to capture diverse sources of uncertainty. A comprehensive reliability planning approach is adopted to identify the worst-case scenarios and ensure network robustness by optimizing BESS operations under these conditions. The results obtained by applying the proposed methodology to a 2500+-bus real-world system of SRP indicates that with as few as four strategically selected BESS units, the system is able to effectively mitigate more than 90% of under-voltage violations and approximately 75% of over-voltage violations.