The changing landscape with the proliferation of distributed energy resources (DERs) introduces new challenges for utility operations and business as they face a large number of DERs with limited to no visibility and have to plan for infrastructure to accommodate their unpredictability. The traditional planning process is becoming less linear and more democratized, as modern distribution systems require more engineering analysis that can capture the complex dynamics of DERs to process interconnection requests, forecast loads at higher granularity, analyze non-wires alternatives and ensure efficient and reliable operation.
This tutorial aims to provide an overview of state-of-the-art approaches for modeling customer DERs and incorporating them with existing distribution models. The tutorial will start with a discussion on different physics-based DERs models and discuss how the Transactive Energy Simulation Platform (TESP) provides modularized interface towards minimizing the barriers of modeling and enabling more efficient analysis (even with non-transactive systems). Next, we will present software-APIs for incorporating different DERs (including HVACs, EVs, PVs, and battery systems) with representative regional characteristics. Finally, we will demonstrate how the TESP platform could be used for complex use-cases including growth projections, response during extreme-events and potential of incentive-based controls. The use-cases will include a hands-on tutorial on using the APIs to model DERs with prototypical feeders and evaluate control schemes using GridLAB-D.

Presenter(s):
-Dr. Trevor Hardy, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
-Dr. Monish Mukherjee, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
-Dr. Meghana Ramesh, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
-Jessica Kerby, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory