IEEE PES Lecture: Unforeseen Data Center Oscillations in Dominion Energy’s Grid

#datacenters #renewables #control #grid #power #voltage #source #converters

As Dominion Energy's power grid has grown to include an increasing number of inverter-based resources and power electronic components, we have begun to observe an increase in previously unforeseen and difficult-to-explain dynamic behaviors. In this paper, we present a measurement-based analysis of 14.7–14.8 Hz oscillations emerging from a data center in Dominion Energy's power grid. Synchrophasor data collected over several months were analyzed using non-parametric spectral analysis approaches to understand its inception and, more importantly, to characterize its behavior. What makes this case unique is the presence of an independent and unplanned exogenous excitation in the system. This excitation plays a critical role in understanding the inception and emergence of an otherwise unobservable dynamic process that, as it destabilizes, results in oscillations at a higher and narrower frequency range than that of conventional power system dynamics. This work highlights the importance of understanding the impact of data center loads interfaced with power electronics beyond typical concerns such as sizing and demand.

About the Speaker:

Luigi Vanfretti is currently a Full Professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, since July 2022, where he was a tenured Associate Professor from 2017-6/2022-6. At RPI, he leads research projects in his laboratory and with his research team, ALSETLab, in the domains of electrical power systems and aircraft electrification.

In addition to his academic duties, through Vanfretti Consulting LLC, Dr. Vanfretti serves as a consultant for utilities and research institutions, including Dominion Energy in Virginia, USA, the New York Power Authority, New York, USA, the SuperGrid Institute in Lyon, France, and CENACE (the power system operator of Ecuador), Quito, Ecuador, to name a few.