A Comparison of the Dynamic Performance of Conventional and Ternary Pumped Storage Hydro

Abstract

With decreasing costs of renewable energy harvesting devices, penetration of solar panels and wind turbines have increased manifold. Under such high levels of penetration, coping with increased intermittency and unpredictability and maintaining power system resiliency under reduced inertia conditions has become a critical issue. Pumped storage hydro (PSH) is the most matured and economic form of storage that can serve the purpose of capacity for over 4 to 8 h. However, to increase network inertia and add required flexibility to low inertia power systems, significant paradigm shifting modifications have been engineered to result in the development of Ternary PSH (TPSH). In this paper a test system to consider governor interaction is constructed. The dynamic models of conventional PSH (CPSH) and TPSH are constructed and integrated to the test system to examine the effect of CPSH and TPSH in the hydraulic short circuit (TPSH-HSC). The ability and the effect of mode change (from pump to turbine) without the loss synchronism of TPSH has also been examined. Results display the superior capability and effect of TPSH with its HSC capability to contribute to frequency regulation during pumping mode and the effect of rapid mode change, as compared to its primitive alternative, CPSH.