National laboratory, municipal power utility test energy storage tech for small hydropower generation

Idaho National Laboratory has turned to its own back yard to test how small hydropower plants can provide power to customers during widespread grid outages.

Idaho Falls Power, a municipally owned utility, and INL researchers this week performed tests to see how the city’s hydropower plants can be made more stable and responsive during emergencies. The tests involved integrating energy storage and modifying the control systems to help them balance changes in electricity quickly.

The city of Idaho Falls owns five power plants on the Snake River, from the Upper Power Plant north of the city to the Gem State Dam just to the south. These plants generate enough power to meet about one-third of the city’s needs. The rest of its power is purchased from generators across the region.

This week’s tests were especially focused on ultracapacitors. Unlike batteries, which take hours to charge, ultracapacitors can deliver quick bursts of energy then just as quickly capture excess power. This relieves pressure from the hydropower plants, giving them more time to catch up to changes in demand.

To isolate the city’s generators and test them in various configurations, two 6-megawatt load banks were brought in. A load bank is kind of like a giant toaster oven, filled with resistive heater elements. Used to test an electric power source that has been disconnected from its normal operating load, they draw the current and dissipate it in the form of heat.

In preparation for this week’s tests, American Governor Group of Emerson and INL measured the hydropower plant’s response and used these observations to adjust digital models. The digital models were fed into INL’s Digital Real-Time Simulators, which then simulated possible test outcomes, helping to fine-tune the process and reduce risk of equipment damage during field demonstration.

“If we can solve this, it opens up capabilities for a lot of communities that have small hydro systems like ours,” said Ben Jenkins, who is managing the project for Idaho Falls Power. “It helps Idaho Falls, but it could have a much broader impact across the national grid.”

INL is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory that performs work in each of DOE’s strategic goal areas: energy, national security, science and environment. INL is the nation’s center for nuclear energy research and development. Day-to-day management and operation of the laboratory is the responsibility of Battelle Energy Alliance.