Simultaneous Scheduling of Multiple Frequency Services in Stochastic Unit Commitment

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel stochastic unit commitment model that co-optimizes energy production and multiple frequency services, addressing uncertainty and system inertia challenges in low-carbon power grids.

Contribution

It presents the first integrated model for simultaneous scheduling of energy and various frequency services, including inertia and response, under uncertainty.

Findings

Significant economic savings demonstrated in case studies.

Effective coordination of frequency services reduces carbon emissions.

Model highlights synergies and conflicts among frequency services.

Abstract

The reduced level of system inertia in low-carbon power grids increases the need for alternative frequency services. However, simultaneously optimising the provision of these services in the scheduling process, subject to significant uncertainty, is a complex task given the challenge of linking the steady-state optimisation with frequency dynamics. This paper proposes a novel frequency-constrained Stochastic Unit Commitment (SUC) model which, for the first time, co-optimises energy production along with the provision of synchronised and synthetic inertia, Enhanced Frequency Response (EFR), Primary Frequency Response (PFR) and a dynamically-reduced largest power infeed. The contribution of load damping is modelled through a linear inner approximation. The effectiveness of the proposed model is demonstrated through several case studies for Great Britain's 2030 power system, which highlight the synergies and conflicts among alternative frequency services, as well as the significant economic savings and carbon reduction achieved by simultaneously optimising all these services.