UNSW Sydney engineers have secured a $6.52 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to investigate challenges associated with operating Australia’s electricity system with increasing levels of solar, wind and battery storage.
The three-and-a-half-year project, titled Protection & Relay Operation for Inverter-based Low-inertia Electricity Systems (PROFILES), will be led by the UNSW School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications and the Real Time Simulations Laboratory.
UNSW Associate Professor in Energy Systems Georgios Konstantinou said the research would examine how inverter-based resources used in renewable generation and battery storage interact with power system protection.
“The way that the power is supplied from renewables is fundamentally different to that of traditional coal fired generation,” A/Prof. Konstantinou said.
“Essentially, we need to keep operating a safe and reliable power system.”
ARENA said the growing connection of inverter-based resources to the National Electricity Market meant there was a need for greater understanding of how emerging technologies could contribute to system strength.
The agency said the project would examine how grid-forming batteries interact with protection systems when providing fault current, describing the issue as an area requiring further evidence before the technology can be more widely relied on for system strength services.
A/Prof. Konstantinou said the research would also aim to identify solutions and help manage risks and costs associated with renewable power systems.
“This work will help to future proof, manage risks and reduce the costs associated with renewable power systems,” he said.
UNSW Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research & Enterprise Professor Bronwyn Fox said the grant would support testing and modelling focused on the future operation of Australia’s electricity networks.
“Transforming the nation’s electricity grid is a critical undertaking,” Prof. Fox said. “This research is essential for the future of Australia’s energy transition.”
The project will involve UNSW researchers A/Prof. Konstantinou, Dr Felipe Arrano-Vargas and Dr Shan Jiang, with support from the UNSW Energy Institute and industry partners including Transgrid, the Australian Energy Market Operator, ElectraNet, Power Electronics, SMA, Tesla and Siemens.
ARENA said UNSW’s hardware-in-the-loop testing capability and its position as an independent research organisation were factors sup
