Hydropower is a renewable energy source directly connected to the grid, providing inertia as water spins large turbines. Pumped storage hydropower, or PSH, draws electricity from the grid to pump water in times of low power demand to create an energy storage bank. In times of high demand, PSH generates electricity as water is used from the reservoir to turn the turbines.
Scientists at ORNL and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, developed this algorithm to predict electric grid stability using signals from PSH projects. This provides critical awareness as the grid increasingly shifts to intermittent renewable power. The algorithm calculates inertia using the signal that’s produced when the pumps turn off, combined with information on grid frequency – the system’s overall balance of electricity supply and demand.
The InertiaMeter project also garnered a Silver award in the R&D 100 Special Recognition: Green Tech category.
The project was supported by the DOE's Water Power Technologies Office of in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
A team of researchers at the University of Tennessee, led by UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair Yilu Liu and UT’s Hongyu Li and Wenpeng Yu, developed the technology.