Principal Investigator: Dr. Roy McCann
Wind and solar accounts for 67 percent of new electrical generation capacity installed in the USA during 2022. There is presently 140 GW of total installed wind and capacity online. However, most of this energy is produced in remote areas for which transmission line infrastructure limit how much wind and solar power can be delivered to urban areas. Transmission line ratings are typically assigned based upon average seasonal operating conditions and include safety margins to ensure that safety levels for conductor temperature is never exceeded. However, this often results in transmission line being underutilized and unnecessarily limited the supply of electricity from wind and solar plants. This research is developing methods to determine transmission line ratings based on actual operating conditions. For example, during cooler weather with moderate wind speeds, the transmission line rate can be safely increased. Referred as dynamic line rating (DLR), this research uses direct measurement of transmission line voltages and currents using synchrophasors to compute resistance and therefore determine temperature changes. Combined with real time meteorological data and machine learning algorithms, DLR provides hourly revised maximum transmission line ratings. When incorporated into control center and dispatch operations, this will maximize the use of renewable energy and improves power system reliability.
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