The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is backing a University of New South Wales (UNSW) project that aims to address challenges related to the secure operation of power systems with high proportions of renewable generation, such as solar, wind, and batteries.
The UNSW School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications and the Real Time Simulations Laboratory (RTS@UNSW) will undertake a three-and-a-half-year project to test crucial elements related to the safety and storage of renewable energy with the help of a $6.52 million grant from ARENA.
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UNSW Sydney Associate Professor in Energy Systems Georgios Konstantinou said the project—Protection & Relay Operation for Inverter-based Low-inertia Electricity Systems (PROFILES)—will examine and test problems and solutions in inverter-based resources, which are the systems used by solar, wind, and battery storage.
“The way that the power is supplied from renewables is fundamentally different to that of traditional coal-fired generation,” said A/Prof. Konstantinou.
“Essentially, we need to keep operating a safe and reliable power system. This work will help to future proof, manage risks and reduce the costs associated with renewable power systems.
“It will be a continuous process of informing both industry and the research community about problems and solutions with inverter-based resources (solar, wind, batteries), their fault current contributions and power system protection.”
UNSW Sydney Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research & Enterprise Professor Bronwyn Fox said the ARENA grant would fund crucial testing and modelling to ensure the future safety of Australia’s energy networks.
“Transforming the nation’s electricity grid is a critical undertaking,” Prof. Fox said.
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“This research is essential for the future of Australia’s energy transition and recognises the important work that A/Prof. Konstantinou and his team have been doing.”
The PROFILES team at UNSW including A/Prof. Georgios Konstantinou, Dr Felipe Arrano-Vargas and Dr Shan Jiang will be supported by the UNSW Energy Institute.
