Vittal and his collaborators set out to address this conundrum: With such sensitive equipment, how do you set criteria for stability that power grid operators can use to guide renewable power generation techniques? Setting modern power grid stability standards This leaves them susceptible to issues like low voltage in the generation system, which can shut down an entire power grid. In contrast, many renewable systems, such as solar generation, have no inertia in their systems to keep things spinning. “This inertia allows the kinetic energy cycle to slow down or speed up a little bit, depending upon whether there is a drop in load or an increase in load.” “The kinetic energy allows the system load or generation to vary a little,” Vittal says. When synchronous generators do encounter changes in system operation, their inertia allows them to overcome these changes by utilizing the stored kinetic energy in their large rotating mass. Vittal says that synchronous generators have a high tolerance for faults in the system, such as short circuits. They also have different characteristics and tolerances for deviation from normal operating conditions. Solar and wind power, which have become more commonplace in power grids around the world, can’t simply be turned on or made to generate more power at will by giving them additional fuel. Since 2004, synchronous generators have a reduced level of prominence as renewable energy technologies have taken a greater role in power generation. The alternators then produce electricity, much in the same way a car’s alternator powers its electrical system and keeps its battery charged. Traditional methods use synchronous generators, which spin alternators with the force created by the combustion of gasses or steam to generate electricity. Renewable power sources can operate differently than traditional fossil fuel and nuclear power generation methods, which affects the stability of the grid they supply. Redefining stability in the age of renewable energy The resulting paper, “ Definition and Classification of Power System Stability – Revisited & Extended,” published last year, won the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Power & Energy Society Prize Paper Award. To account for these changes, Vittal and his colleagues reconvened to revisit their earlier work and redefine stability for the modern era. Since then, the grid has evolved rapidly and renewable power has played an increasingly larger role in producing electricity. Photo courtesy Shutterstock Download Full Image ![]() Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, won the 2022 IEEE PES Prize Paper Award for his contribution to redefining power grid stability. Along with his co-authors, Vijay Vittal, a Regents Professor in the Ira A. Working with other electrical engineers, he defined stability criteria for the power grid as it existed in 2004. ![]() Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, was an influential voice in power grid research during that time. Vijay Vittal, a Regents Professor of electrical engineering in the Ira A. Twenty years ago, the power grid was run mostly on fossil fuels and nuclear power.
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