Dynamic Modeling and Real-Time Control of Hydropower Units for Frequency Regulation

Maintaining a stable frequency in power grid requires effective frequency regulation mechanisms to ensure supply and demand balance in real-time operation. Hydropower units benefit from fast frequency response and ramping capability, which makes them suitable for frequency regulation in power grids with high penetration of renewable energy sources (RES) and severe load disturbances. However, hydropower units depend on water flow and availability to operate, making their modeling and control challenging. This paper proposes a model predictive control approach for real-time frequency control to utilize the capability of hydropower units for providing frequency regulation in power system caused by real-time variations of the load and RES, while respecting the dynamics of different components in hydropower and thermal generators. The simulations results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed controller in utilizing the potential of hydropower units to maintain the system frequency for different variation scenarios.