A generic framework for communication of distributed energy resources through a cloud-based service | Lasse Dreisig Orda, Jesper Bach
| | Abstract | Power production has traditionally been very centralized, with large fossil fired combined heat and power plants carrying the vast majority of the load. In recent years, however, the interest in renewable energy has spiked and more and more dispersed energy resources (DER) are starting to appear. In Denmark the government has set an ambitious goal of 50% wind power penetration by 2020 [16], and a complete out-phasing of fossil fuels by 2050.
Because the power grid has to be kept in balance, a multitude of new control schemes are being researched in order to properly manage the new resources [62]. From a network-technical perspective, handling connections to a multitude of units constitutes a problem in itself. Not only does it require a significant amount of server capacity, but obtaining access to all DERs through firewalls and the like, is a rather daunting task.
By shifting these more tedious tasks to the cloud, the aggregator not only takes a great step towards true scalability, but also towards increased security. In connecting directly to the cloud, the aggregator no longer needs to keep sockets open for connecting DERs, effectively distancing the critical control algorithms from the outside world, leaving this to the cloud.
This thesis covers the development of a cloud-based framework, for receiving incoming WebSocket connections from DERs allowing for near real-time communication. To handle multiple DERs raw data, a generic module for each DER unit, allows for various data models to be mapped into a generic one, based on the well tested IEC 61850 standard. Using a cloudbased solution greatly aids the aggregators to scale and meet future demands.
The thesis also includes a concept of flexibility provided by iPower-net. The Flexibility Interface is currently being researched by iPower, and is mapped into the IEC 61850 standard as an additional logical sub-node. By mapping to the existing standards, no major changes would be needed to adapt existing systems. | | Type | Master's thesis [Industrial collaboration] | | Year | 2013 | | Publisher | Technical University of Denmark, Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science / DTU Co | | Address | Matematiktorvet, Building 303B, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark, compute@compute.dtu.dk | | Series | M.Sc.-2013-72 | | Note | DTU supervisor: Bjarne Poulsen, bjpo@dtu.dk, DTU Compute | | Electronic version(s) | [pdf] | | Publication link | http://www.compute.dtu.dk/English.aspx | | BibTeX data | [bibtex] | | IMM Group(s) | Computer Science & Engineering |
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