Unlocking Smarter Grid Stability: How Hydropower, Batteries, and Supercapacitors Join Forces for Frequency Control
This study, conducted by researchers from Information Processing and Telecommunications Center (IPTC), explores the active power control of a hybrid power plant combining hydropower, battery energy storage (BESS), and supercapacitor energy storage (SCESS) to enhance frequency regulation in modern power systems. The proposed control strategy distributes frequency control efforts among the three components while maintaining the state of charge (SOC) of the battery and supercapacitor within predefined bounds. This coordinated approach aims to reduce mechanical wear in hydropower infrastructure—such as penstock stress and wicket gate movement—while minimizing battery aging.
Through dynamic simulations using MATLAB-Simulink, the study demonstrates that integrating BESS and SCESS with hydropower significantly improves control signal tracking and reduces wear and tear on system components. The supercapacitor, in particular, contributes to fast frequency response and alleviates stress on the battery by absorbing high-power fluctuations, thereby extending battery life.
Potential applications of this research include enhancing grid stability in regions with high penetration of intermittent renewable energy sources, improving the operational lifespan of hydropower assets, and enabling more reliable ancillary services such as primary and secondary frequency control. The findings support the development of smarter, more resilient hybrid energy systems that can meet future grid demands with greater flexibility and efficiency.
The study has been carried out under the HYBRIDHYDRO project, coordinated by researchers from the Hydroinformatics and Water Management research of UPM and from the Electric Drives Unit of CIEMAT.
Jesús Fraile Ardanuy: GS / ORCID / LinkedIn
Bibliographic reference:
Basheer, Y., Pérez-Díaz, J.I., Blanco, M., Fraile-Ardanuy, J., Nájera, J., Navarro, G. & Sarasúa, J.I. Active power control of a hybrid power plant comprising hydropower, battery and supercapacitor to provide frequency control. 9th Hybrid Power Plants & Systems Workshop (HYB 2025), Hybrid Conference, Åland Islands, Finland, 2025, pp. 34-41, doi: 10.1049/icp.2025.2368.
For more information: www.iptc.upm.es
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