Electrical power grids and communication systems are the foundation of the energy transition that will be required in the coming years. These infrastructures should be more secure, reliable and resilient, in order to enable the integration of more renewable energy sources and new types of loads and consumers. Coordination between stakeholders, market and grid operators requires new approaches and tools for managing energy systems. However, improved ICT technologies need to be developed to provide the required level of coordination. We are pleased to invite the research community to submit review papers or regular research papers on topics including but not limited to the following, related to electric power grids and communication systems:

Hydrogen systems;
Storage technologies and systems;
Demand response;
Electrical Vehicles;
Planning, operation, control, and management;
Modeling, simulation, and data management;
Power electronic converters and drives;
Smart thermal grids;
Smart gas grids;
Smart electricity grids;
Energy efficient systems;
Virtual power plants;
Renewable energy production and integration;
Micro-Grids;
Off-grid hybrid renewable systems;
Artificial intelligence and optimization;
Smart homes, cities, and communities;
Efficient buildings and Net Zero Energy Buildings;
Power quality;
Protection systems and reliability;
Sensors, communications, and intelligent networking;
Security and privacy of data exchange;
Local markets;
Flexibility markets;
Internet of Things;
TSO/DSO coordination;
Edge devices and intelligence.

Dr. Hugo Morais
Dr. Junjie Hu
Prof. Dr. Matej Zajc
Topic Editors

Keywords

Smart Grids
Power System Reliability and Resilience
Power System Flexibilities
Electricity Markets
System Operators Coordination

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Electricity electricity	-	-	2020	20.3 Days	CHF 1000
Electronics electronics	2.9	4.7	2012	15.6 Days	CHF 2400
Energies energies	3.2	5.5	2008	16.1 Days	CHF 2600

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Published Papers (13 papers)

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15 pages, 2548 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Data Fusion and Situation Awareness for Smart Grid and Power Communication Network Based on Tensor Computing and Deep Reinforcement Learning

by Qiusheng Yu, Xiaoyong Wang, Depin Lv, Bin Qi, Yongjing Wei, Lei Liu, Pu Zhang, Weihong Zhu and Wensheng Zhang

Electronics 2023, 12(12), 2606; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12122606 - 09 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 995

Abstract

With the large-scale deployment of sensors, both the smart grid and the power communication network should jointly deal with different kinds of big data. The fusion of both networks should bring unpredictable accidents, even leading a catastrophic destruction in our lives. However, data fusion (DF) and coordination treatment for two networks will greatly improve system performance, reduce system complexity, and improve the precision and control ability of both networks. Situation awareness (SA) is the key function for DF and accident avoidance for both networks with different network structures, data types, system mechanisms, and so on. This paper use tensor computing to provide a general data model for heterogeneous and multidimensional big data generated from smart grid and power communication network. A novel data fusion scheme is designed with multidimensional tensors. Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) algorithms are utilized to construct an optimal SA strategy based on tensor big data. A multi-agent actor-critic (MAAC) algorithm is used to achieve an optimal SA policy and improve system performance. The proposed DF and SA schemes based on tensor computing and DRL provide useful guidance for smart grid and power communication networks from theory and practice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Smart Grids: Electrical Power Networks and Communication Systems)

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17 pages, 1634 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Design of a Wide-Area Power System Stabilizer to Tolerate Multiple Permanent Communication Failures

by Murilo Eduardo Casteroba Bento

Electricity 2023, 4(2), 154-170; https://doi.org/10.3390/electricity4020010 - 05 May 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2293

Abstract

Wide-Area Power System Stabilizers (WAPSSs) are damping controllers used in power systems that employ data from Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs). WAPSSs are capable of providing high damping rates for the low-frequency oscillation modes, especially the inter-area modes. Oscillation modes can destabilize power systems if they are not correctly identified and adequately damped. However, WAPSS communication channels may be subject to failures or cyber-attacks that affect their proper operation and may even cause system instability. This research proposes a method based on an optimization model for the design of a WAPSS robust to multiple permanent communication failures. The results of applications of the proposed method in the IEEE 68-bus system show the ability of the WAPSS design to be robust to a possible number of permanent communication failures. Above this value, the combinations of failures and processing time are high and they make it difficult to obtain high damping rates for the closed-loop control system. The application and comparison of different optimization techniques are valid and showed a superior performance of the Grey Wolf Optimizer in solving the optimization problem. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Smart Grids: Electrical Power Networks and Communication Systems)

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23 pages, 4564 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Electric Vehicles Charging Using Photovoltaic Energy Surplus: A Framework Based on Blockchain

by Irvylle Cavalcante, Jamilson Júnior, Jônatas Augusto Manzolli, Luiz Almeida, Mauro Pungo, Cindy Paola Guzman and Hugo Morais

Energies 2023, 16(6), 2694; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16062694 - 14 Mar 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2448

Abstract

In the present day, it is crucial for individuals and companies to reduce their carbon footprints in a society more self-conscious about climate change and other environmental issues. In this sense, public and private institutions are investing in photovoltaic (PV) systems to produce clean energy for self-consumption. Nevertheless, an essential part of this energy is wasted due to lower consumption during non-business periods. This work proposes a novel framework that uses solar-generated energy surplus to charge external electric vehicles (EVs), creating new business opportunities. Furthermore, this paper introduces a novel marketplace platform based on blockchain technology to allow energy trading between institutions and EV owners. Since the energy provided to charge the EV comes from distributed PV generation, the energy’s selling price can be more attractive than the one offered by the retailers—meaning economic gains for the institutions and savings for the users. A case study was carried out to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed solution and its economic advantages. Given the assumptions considered in the study, 3213 EVs could be fully charged by one institution in one year, resulting in over EUR 45,000 in yearly profits. Further, the economic analysis depicts a payback of approximately two years, a net present value of EUR 33,485, and an internal rate of return of 61%. These results indicate that implementing the proposed framework could enable synergy between institutions and EV owners, providing clean and affordable energy to charge vehicles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Smart Grids: Electrical Power Networks and Communication Systems)

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19 pages, 1833 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Design of an Energy Policy for the Decarbonisation of Residential and Service Buildings in Northern Portugal

by Sara Capelo, Tiago Soares, Isabel Azevedo, Wellington Fonseca and Manuel A. Matos

Energies 2023, 16(5), 2239; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16052239 - 25 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1394

Abstract

The decarbonisation of the building sector is crucial for Portugal’s goal of achieving economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2050. To mobilize communities towards energy efficiency measures, it is important to understand the primary drivers and barriers that must be overcome through policymaking. This paper aims to review existing Energy Policies and Actions (EPA) in Portugal and assess their effectiveness in improving Energy Efficiency (EE) and reducing CO₂ emissions in the building sector. The Local Energy Planning Assistant (LEPA) tool was used to model, test, validate and compare the implementation of current and alternative EPAs in the North of Portugal, including the national EE plan. The results indicate that electrification of heating and cooling, EE measures, and the proliferation of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) are crucial for achieving climate neutrality. The study found that the modelling of alternative EPAs can be improved to reduce investment costs and increase Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reduction. Among the alternatives assessed, the proposed one (Alternative 4) presents the best returns on investment in terms of cost savings and emissions reduction. It allows for 52% investment cost savings in the residential sector and 13% in the service sector when compared to the current national roadmap to carbon neutrality (Alternative 2). The estimated emission reduction in 2050 for Alternative 4 is 0.64% for the residential sector and 3.2% for the service sector when compared to Alternative 2. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Smart Grids: Electrical Power Networks and Communication Systems)

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22 pages, 11812 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Design of a Dynamic Hybrid Compensator for Current Sharing Control of Parallel Phase-Shifted Full-Bridge Converter

by Baihui Gong, Kan Liu, Haozhe Luan, Jiaming Wu, Jing Zhou, Shilin Tan, Chao Huang and Huajiang Wu

Energies 2023, 16(5), 2204; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16052204 - 24 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1519

Abstract

The phase-shifted full-bridge (PSFB) converter has been widely used in power supply modules due to its simple control and high output power. However, with the market’s increasing demand for higher power sources, the PSFB converter needs to face challenges in increasing its output power level. Compared to redesigning a larger power module or a larger single converter, it will be more cost-effective to achieve a higher power output by paralleling the existing converters. However, due to the manufacturing differences in circuit components, the output imbalance in parallel PSFB converter systems may damage the power modules. Thus, the influence of differences in circuit components is analyzed in this paper, and it is found that the leakage inductance and transformer ratio are the main factors resulting in errors in current sharing control. Consequently, a dynamic hybrid compensator (DHC) is proposed in this paper, that can significantly reduce the error in current sharing control via the compensation of the duty cycle of a slave module. Furthermore, the DHC is verified on an 800 W two-phase PSFB converter, which shows that even when the difference in components is as large as 20%, the proposed method can still reduce the error in current sharing control to less than 2% under both half and full load conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Smart Grids: Electrical Power Networks and Communication Systems)

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25 pages, 10980 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Aspects of Design in Low Voltage Resilient Grids—Focus on Battery Sizing and U Level Control with P Regulation in Microgrids of Energy Communities

by Mihai Sanduleac, Alexandru Sandulescu, Cristina Efremov, Constantin Ionescu, Ioan Catalin Damian and Alexandru Mandis

Energies 2023, 16(4), 1932; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16041932 - 15 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1262

Abstract

Energy communities and their resiliency are both relatively new subjects of interest that need deeper analysis. The concepts are emerging in the current trend of energy decarbonization, combined with unpredictable external factors, such as extreme weather, or nearby conflicts, such as wars. To be resilient against electrical network supply outages or heavy blackouts, energy communities need appropriate design of their electrical microgrids to maintain an acceptable level of activity in both normal and critical situations. The paper deals with aspects of the design of the electrical network used by energy communities, seen as microgrids designed to offer an acceptable level of safe operation and energy resilience. While electrical network resilience covers both the public network (main grid) and local microgrid of an energy community, the paper focuses on the safe operation and resilience related to the local microgrid as a distinct goal from the one of preserving the main grid’s functionality. The first section considers definitions of energy resilience and some of the existing preoccupations on the subject. A second section of the paper presents different aspects of the design of a microgrid, with the purpose of increasing its safety in operation and energy community resilience. The section addresses electrical network architectures, multiple roles of storage resources related to prosumers and to islanded microgrids with high-RES penetration, and other aspects such as the impact of electrification of heating through, e.g., heat pumps. The next sections present selected use cases, which develop some of these design aspects by using typical real data for the analysis and assessing solutions to address resilient microgrid challenges. The selected use cases consider simplified approaches for real-time and short-term storage needs and operational use in microgrids, maintaining voltage levels in a high-RES scenario by using battery P control, and optimization of storage resources to cope with the needs. Conclusions are given in a final section, which also presents future work for a presumed continuation with other use cases related to storage means, safe operation, and resilient design of energy communities microgrids. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Smart Grids: Electrical Power Networks and Communication Systems)

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18 pages, 4720 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Interpretation and Quantification of the Flexibility Sources Location on the Flexibility Service in the Distribution Grid

by Ajla Mehinovic, Matej Zajc and Nermin Suljanovic

Energies 2023, 16(2), 590; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16020590 - 04 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 865

Abstract

The economic and technical requirements of current changes in the distribution system are reflected in the use of all available resources and the activation of mechanisms for local use of flexibility. Local flexibility markets are evolving and face numerous obstacles for which appropriate solutions must be found. The local flexibility market will be complemented by the development of a local flexibility register, which will contain all relevant information about the flexibility assets necessary for the efficient operation of the local flexibility market. In this paper, interpretation and quantification of the flexibility sources location on the flexibility service in the distribution grid is given. The information is derived from power flow simulation results and finally written down in the form of line coefficients, which are determined by applying the least squares method to the power flow results. We have developed a Python-based simulator to perform the methodology to determine the information and test it on a realistic medium voltage distribution grid in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This paper confirms the approximate linearity of the active power changes on the demand side to the line load and to the voltage at the nodes for a given operating condition of the distribution grid. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Smart Grids: Electrical Power Networks and Communication Systems)

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16 pages, 2363 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Energy Customer Perception, Willingness, and Acceptance to Participate in Smart Grids—A Portuguese Survey

by Luis Gomes, António Coelho and Zita Vale

Energies 2023, 16(1), 270; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16010270 - 26 Dec 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1728

Abstract

The adoption of smart grids is becoming a common reality worldwide. This new reality is starting to impact energy customers as they face a dynamic grid in which they can actively participate. However, if energy customers are not prepared to participate actively, they can have their energy costs increased. This paper provides a review of acceptance models and customer surveys around the world made to assess the customers’ perception and willingness to participate in smart grids. Contributing to this assessment, this paper presents a survey undertaken in Portugal. The survey results demonstrate a willingness, from the customer’s end, to actively participate in smart grid initiatives. It was found that 92.9% of participants are willing to plan their energy usage to face hourly energy prices and that 95.0% of participants are willing to accept an external control of at least one appliance, enabling direct load control demand response programs. Also, the results identified two cognitive tendencies, negativity bias, and loss aversion, which can impact how customers participate in smart grids. These cognitive tendencies and the literature acceptance models demonstrate the importance of conducting social science studies targeting smart grids to fully achieve the efficient participation of end customers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Smart Grids: Electrical Power Networks and Communication Systems)

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15 pages, 4611 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Reliability Evaluation of Smart Substation Based on Time-Varying Probabilistic Hybrid Attack Graph

by Zhiyong Li, Wubin Wen, Rende Dai and Wanting Xi

Energies 2022, 15(18), 6724; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15186724 - 14 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1255

Abstract

A substation is the portion of a power grid that forms a link between the cyber system and the physical system. Reliability evaluation of smart substations based on a time-varying probabilistic hybrid attack graph (TVPHAG) is studied in this paper. First, the topology network of the smart substation is established, whose attributes are represented by probability. Then, in order to solve the problem of asynchrony in the cyber-physical system and the hybrid caused by heterogeneity, time-varying state equation in topology and cuts in algebra are introduced to TVPHAG. Based on TVPHAG, the evaluation of the reliability of cyber-physical systems with multiple equipment and multiple timescales is established. On this basis, the influences of physical conditions, cyberattacks, physical attacks, and cyber-physical attacks on substations are analyzed, respectively. Finally, the simulation shows that the method is effective in evaluating the reliability of smart substations, providing a new method for the evaluation of reliability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Smart Grids: Electrical Power Networks and Communication Systems)

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19 pages, 3329 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modified Master–Slave Controller for Stable Power Supply of Energy Storage Based Microgrid

by Byoung-chang Jeong

Energies 2022, 15(12), 4245; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15124245 - 09 Jun 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4031

Abstract

This paper presents a method for supplying stable electricity using renewable energy sources and energy storage systems (ESSs) in a small-scale microgrid (MG) such as an island. Traditional control methods, such as master–slave control and droop control, have focused on equalizing power sharing among a small number of generators and do not deal well with emergencies such as unplanned generator failures. This paper proposes a control method that can stably maintain the frequency of the MG in various situations by combining the advantages of master–slave control and droop control and complementing the disadvantages. Simulations were performed under various conditions to verify the proposed control method. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Smart Grids: Electrical Power Networks and Communication Systems)

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21 pages, 4766 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Broadband Dynamic Phasor Measurement Method for Harmonic Detection

by Yufu Guo, Hang Xu and Aobing Chi

Electronics 2022, 11(11), 1667; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11111667 - 24 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1373

Abstract

A large number of nonlinear loads and distributed energy sources are connected to the power system, leading to the generation of broadband dynamic signals including inter-harmonics and decaying DC (DDC) components. This causes deterioration of power quality and errors during power measurement. Therefore, effective phasor estimation methods are needed for accurate monitoring and effective analysis of harmonics and interharmonic phasors. For this purpose, an algorithm is proposed in this paper that is implemented in two parts. The first part is based on the least square method in order to obtain accurate DDC component. In the second part, a Taylor–Fourier model of broadband dynamic harmonic phasor is established. The regularization optimization problem of the sparse acquisition model is solved by harmonic vector estimation method. Finally, the piecewise Split-Bregman Iterative (SBI) framework is used to obtain the estimated value of the harmonic phasor measurement and to realize the reconstruction of the original signal. Through simulation and performance test, the proposed algorithm significantly improves the accuracy of the phasor measurement and estimation, and can provide a reliable theoretical basis for the PMU measurement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Smart Grids: Electrical Power Networks and Communication Systems)

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17 pages, 34303 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance of an Adaptive Aggregation Mechanism in a Noisy WLAN Downlink MU-MIMO Channel

by Lemlem Kassa, Mark Davis, Jianhua Deng and Jingye Cai

Electronics 2022, 11(5), 754; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11050754 - 01 Mar 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1527

Abstract

This paper investigates an adaptive frame aggregation technique in the medium access control (MAC) layer for the Wireless Local Area Network (WALN) downlink Multi-User–Multiple-In Multiple-Out (MU-MIMO) channel. In tackling the challenges of heterogeneous traffic demand among spatial streams, we proposed a new adaptive aggregation algorithm which has a superior performance over the baseline First-in–First-Out (FIFO) scheme in terms of system throughput performance and channel utilization. However, this earlier work does not consider the effects of wireless channel error. In addressing the limitations of this work, this study contributes an enhanced version of the earlier model considering the effect of channel error. In this approach, a dynamic adaptive aggregation selection scheme is proposed by employing novel criteria for selecting the optimal aggregation policy in WLAN downlink MU-MIMO channel. Two simulation setups are conducted to achieve this approach. The simulation setup in Step 1 performs the dynamic optimal aggregation policy selection strategy as per the channel condition, traffic pattern, and number of stations in the network. Step 2 then performed the optimal wireless frame construction that would be transmitted in the wireless channel in adopting the optimal aggregation policy obtained from Step 1 that maximizes the system performance. The proposed adaptive algorithm not only achieve the optimal system throughput in minimizing wasted space channel time but also provide a good performance under the effects of different channel conditions, different traffic models such as Pareto, Weibull, and fBM, and number of users using the traffic mix of VoIP and video data. Through system-level simulation, our results again show the superior performance of our proposed aggregation mechanism in terms of system throughput performance and space channel time compared to the baseline FIFO aggregation approach. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Smart Grids: Electrical Power Networks and Communication Systems)

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11 pages, 2321 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance Analysis of a Dynamic Line Rating System Based on Project Experiences

by Levente Rácz, Bálint Németh, Gábor Göcsei, Dimitar Zarchev and Valeri Mladenov

Energies 2022, 15(3), 1003; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15031003 - 29 Jan 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2179

Abstract

This paper aims to demonstrate the performance and reliability analysis of a dynamic line rating (DLR) system at the Bulgarian demonstration site of the FLEXITRANSTORE project. As part of the project, various manufacturers’ different line monitoring DLR sensors and weather stations were installed on a 110 kV double-circuit overhead line (OHL). These devices provided input parameters to the DLR system based on objective measurements. This paper used statistical tools to examine the reliability and accuracy of installed devices, thus making products from different manufacturers comparable. In addition, two independent line monitoring and DLR models have been developed: the black-box and extended white-box models. The performances of the two models were analyzed for the same input parameters and compared to the field measurements. Based on the presented results, the reliability and accuracy of the applied weather stations of different companies were almost the same. This conclusion cannot be said for DLR line monitoring sensors, where the devices could be differentiated based on reliability and measurement accuracy results. In terms of models, the usability of the extended white-box model seemed to be limited in certain weather conditions, implicating a more significant role for soft-computing-based DLR models in the future. In addition to the results, root causes for the errors and future directions that may provide a framework for further research are also presented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Smart Grids: Electrical Power Networks and Communication Systems)

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