Advancing Grid Modernization Through Data-Driven Resilience Modeling and Hosting Capacity of Distributed Energy Resources

This Ph.D. dissertation focuses on advancing the integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) through concepts surrounding their impacts on power system stability, resilience, and hosting capacity (HC). This dissertation addresses crucial topics in renewable energy deployment, transient fault response, and dynamic modeling. The work begins with the development of renewable energy source (RES) models tailored for offsetting residential heating, ventilation, and air conditioning~(HVAC) and commercial cooling loads. These models utilize solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy systems to produce scalable frameworks adapted across diverse climates and building types in application of a partial-load targeting methodology. The dissertation then transitions from the modeling of DERs to examining resiliency of electric power grids containing distributed PV deployment strategies when exposed to disturbances from singular faults to extreme weather events. This is done to highlight the stabilizing and recovery potential of networks with various penetrations of DERs. This concept is expanded by performing comparative analyses of centralized and distributed PV configurations to further detail deployment strategies against various resilience metrics to provide critical insight on their respective trade-offs in grid resilience and operational efficiency. The final phase of the dissertation transition to load-side assessments in hosting capacity~(HC) and its susceptibility to common short-circuit faults. This evolves into the development of a real-time HC framework leveraging OpenDSS and RT-Lab (OPAL-RT) in a bidirectional interface that allows user input to manipulate dynamic electric vehicle (EV) loads and stochastic fault injections into synthetic distribution networks and observe live HC evaluations based on voltage stability profiles of system feeders. The intellectual merit of this work lies in its contributions to grid modernization efforts through advancing the critical understanding of DER integration and its interplay with disturbance contingencies to ultimately seek methods and strategies for maintaining a resilient power grid. The major contributions of this dissertation are to investigate and uncover the interplay between DER integration and extenuating circumstances resultant of simple, moderate faults all the way to extreme weather disturbances. This involves (1) effective development of novel RES modeling concepts to target quantifiable load portions such as residential or commercial space conditioning elements; (2) transient stability analyses that demonstrate the role of distributed solar PV systems in mitigating fault impact as well as their ability to support system recovery; (3)~investigation into the primary trade-offs between centralized and distributed solar PV applications to provide insights into their respective impact on grid resilience; and (4) critical impact assessments on the effects of common short-circuit faults on distribution system HC with regard to voltage stability.