Enhanced Frequency Containment Reserve Provision from Battery Hybridized Hydropower Plants: Theory and Experimental Validation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel control framework combining model predictive control and battery energy storage to improve frequency regulation in hydropower plants, validated through experiments showing enhanced performance and asset longevity.

Contribution

It proposes a double-layer MPC control strategy integrating BESS with hydropower plants for improved frequency regulation, validated by experimental results.

Findings

Superior FCR performance compared to traditional methods

Reduced mechanical stress on turbines

Extended lifespan of hydropower assets

Abstract

This paper presents a solution to address wear and tear of Run-of-River (RoR) Hydropower Plants (HPPs) providing enhanced Frequency Containment Reserve (FCR). In this respect, the study proposes the integration of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with RoR HPPs controlled by a double-layer Model Predictive Control (MPC). The upper layer MPC acts as a state of energy manager for the BESS, employing a forecast of the required regulating energy for the next hour. The lower-layer MPC optimally allocates the power set-point between the turbine and the BESS. Reduced-scale experiments are performed on a one-of-a-kind testing platform to validate the proposed MPC- based control considering a comparison with different control strategies and different BESS sizes. The results demonstrate superior performance of the proposed framework, compared to simpler techniques like dead-band control or to the standalone RoR scenario, leading to improved FCR provision, reduced servomechanism stress, and extended hydropower asset lifespan.