This Combined Synopsis/Solicitation opportunity from Battelle Energy Alliance–doe Cntr was posted on January 13, 2025. The submission period has ended. Browse the details below for market research, or find similar active opportunities.
Enhanced Frequency Response for Run-of-River Hydropower Plants
Contract Overview
Solicitation details, issuing organization, response deadlines, documents, and interested companies for this government contract opportunity.
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The contract outlines a technology focused on enhancing frequency response capabilities of Run-of-River (RoR) hydropower plants through the integration of energy storage systems and advanced control policies. These hydropower plants, prevalent throughout the U.S., currently lack the capability to provide grid support such as frequency regulation due to their design aimed at peak efficiency. By implementing a control policy that leverages frequency control strategies like rate-of-change of frequency (RoCoF) and frequency-Watt (f-Watt) responses, alongside optimized state-of-charge management for energy storage systems, RoR plants can achieve more stable and reliable standalone operation. Additionally, the system employs bounded integral feedback for controlling current and voltage via DC-DC converters and inverters, ensuring closed-loop stability during power transfer and injection. This integrated solution not only improves frequency response and energy storage system performance but also guarantees operational stability and versatility across other renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and marine energy microgrids. It is applicable for small hydropower plants contributing 3.7 GW to the U.S. grid, offering increased grid stability and resilience, and serves microgrid developers and energy storage solution providers looking to expand functionality in renewable energy contexts. The contract, managed by Battelle Energy Alliance at Idaho National Laboratory, targets licensing opportunities for companies to commercialize this technology, with a response deadline set for January 2026.
General Info
Place of Performance
Idaho Falls, ID, 83415, USASet-Aside
Documents
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Timeline
Submission Closed
Organization & Contact Information
Full Description
Enhanced Frequency Response for Run-of-River Hydropower Plants
A Control Policy Leveraging Energy Storage Systems for Standalone Operation Stability
There are thousands of Run-of-river (RoR) hydropower plants (HPPs) across the U.S. Many are interconnected to distribution or sub-transmission systems or relatively weakly connected parts of the electric grid. These plants are typically designed and optimized to operate at peak efficiency and cannot provide grid support under current protocols such as frequency regulation. If these hydropower plants could provide frequency regulation, they would enable more independent grid management of local loads (i.e., allow the use of the hydropower plants to form microgrids).
How It Works
This innovative control policy enhances the frequency response of RoR HPPs in standalone mode by integrating energy storage systems through advanced control architecture:
- Frequency Control: Utilizes rate-of-change of frequency (RoCoF) and f-Watt (frequency-Watt) strategies to stabilize frequency fluctuations.
- Energy Storage Management: Ensures optimal energy storage system (ESS) performance by managing state-of-charge (SOC), preventing overcharge/discharge, and maintaining rechargeability.
- Current and Voltage Control: Employs a bounded integral feedback strategy for DC-DC converters and inverters, ensuring closed-loop stability during power injection and transfer.
- Integrated System Design: Combines frequency, current, and voltage control to improve response while maintaining operational stability.
The result is a robust solution for energy storage integration, enabling RoR HPPs to deliver reliable performance even under challenging conditions.
Key Advantages
- Improved Frequency Response: Enhances system stability with advanced RoCoF and f-Watt strategies.
- Energy Storage Optimization: Prevents energy storage system overcharge/discharge while enabling recharge capabilities.
- Guaranteed Stability: Utilizes bounded integral control to ensure closed-loop system reliability.
- Integrated Solution: Combines frequency and current/voltage control for comprehensive performance enhancement.
- Versatility: Applicable to other renewable systems, including solar, wind, and marine energy microgrids
Applications:
- Small hydropower plants contribute 3.7GW to the U.S. grid. This technology could be integrated with these assets to enhance grid stability and resiliency.
- Microgrid Developers: Enhances standalone operation for renewable energy-based microgrids with ESS.
- Energy Storage Solutions: Expands the functionality of ESS in renewable energy applications.
- Government and Research Institutions: Supports DOE initiatives for sustainable energy and critical load management.
INL’s Technology Deployment department focuses solely on licensing intellectual property and collaborating with industry partners who can commercialize our innovations.
We do not engage in purchasing, procurement, or hiring external services for technology development. Our objective is to connect with companies interested in licensing and bringing our technologies to market.
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