Closing the Loop: A Framework for Trustworthy Machine Learning in Power Systems

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive framework for developing trustworthy machine learning models in power systems, emphasizing feedback loops to improve model performance and reliability amidst the integration of renewable energy sources.

Contribution

It introduces a modular, feedback-driven framework that links different stages of the ML pipeline to enhance model trustworthiness in power system applications.

Findings

Effective learning of N-1 small-signal stability margin

Improved model performance through feedback connections

Framework applicable to complex power system datasets

Abstract

Deep decarbonization of the energy sector will require massive penetration of stochastic renewable energy resources and an enormous amount of grid asset coordination; this represents a challenging paradigm for the power system operators who are tasked with maintaining grid stability and security in the face of such changes. With its ability to learn from complex datasets and provide predictive solutions on fast timescales, machine learning (ML) is well-posed to help overcome these challenges as power systems transform in the coming decades. In this work, we outline five key challenges (dataset generation, data pre-processing, model training, model assessment, and model embedding) associated with building trustworthy ML models which learn from physics-based simulation data. We then demonstrate how linking together individual modules, each of which overcomes a respective challenge, at sequential stages in the machine learning pipeline can help enhance the overall performance of the training process. In particular, we implement methods that connect different elements of the learning pipeline through feedback, thus "closing the loop" between model training, performance assessments, and re-training. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this framework, its constituent modules, and its feedback connections by learning the N-1 small-signal stability margin associated with a detailed model of a proposed North Sea Wind Power Hub system.