Dissertation Announcement for Saeed Miraee-Ashtiani – 08/04/2022 at 10:00 AM

Title: Power grid resilience enhancement to flooding in a changing climate integrating environmental justice.

Date: Thursday, August 4, 2022

Time: 10:00 a.m., C.S.T.

Location: Simrall-228 (Conference Room)

Major Field: Electrical and Computer Engineering

Major Professor: Dr. Karimi, Masoud

Co-Major Professor: Dr. Vahedifard, Farshid

Abstract: Electric power network is an integral part of critical infrastructure systems. Ensuring its resiliency to extreme weather events and natural hazards is crucial to protect the safety, economy and public health. The recorded and projected data show an increase in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events and natural hazards attributed to a changing climate. It is critical to ensure the integrity of the aging infrastructure systems as well as promoting environmental justice. For the latter, it is necessary to reduce the energy equity gap in order to lower power outages in disadvantaged communities.

An important aspect is the resiliency interdependency of electric power networks to other critical infrastructure systems, an aspect that has been escalating due to rapid urbanization and technological developments. The main objective of this research is to quantitatively evaluate the resilience of levee-protected electric power networks to flooding in a changing climate and adapting a strategy to enhance the resilience of power network. Thus, this study first establishes a methodological and multi-disciplinary framework by integrating climate science, hydrology, and electric power network analysis to study (I) how climate change affects recurrence intervals of flooding, (II) how the integrity of levees will be affected by changes in flooding patterns, (III) how these changes affect the resilience of a power network located in levee-protected areas, and (IV) how to improve the resilience of the power network while reducing the energy equity gap.

The proposed framework is applied to IEEE standard test systems overlaid on a levee-protected area in Northern California. First, a link-based resiliency analysis is performed using the Direct Current Optimal Power Flow (dc-OPF) method applied to the IEEE-24 standard test system. Then, a node-based resiliency analysis is carried out employing the IEEE 118-bus standard test system. The system resiliency is assessed for pre-flooding, historic flooding, and projected future flooding scenarios using two representative climate pathways (RCP).Finally, an optimal adaptation strategy using the placement of distributed energy resources (DERs) is delineated using a modified IEEE 30-bus test system to reduce flooding-induced power outages in a changing climate, considering disadvantaged communities as a priority as well as minimizing energy inequity among the communities. Results of this study reveal that the adaptation plan can reduce the risk of power outages, improve environmental justice an  d the resilience of power networks. The findings of this study can contribute towards more resilient power network systems under a changing climate.