Enhanced Frequency Response From Industrial Heating Loads for Electric Power Systems

Increasing penetration of renewable generation results in lower inertia of electric power systems. To maintain the system frequency, system operators have been designing innovative frequency response products. Enhanced frequency response (EFR) newly introduced in the UK is an example with higher technical requirements and customized specifications for assets with energy storage capability. In this paper, a method was proposed to estimate the EFR capacity of a population of industrial heating loads, bitumen tanks, and a decentralized control scheme was devised to enable them to deliver EFR. Case study was conducted using real UK frequency data and practical tank parameters. Results showed that bitumen tanks delivered high-quality service when providing service-1-type EFR, but underperformed for service-2-type EFR with much narrower deadband. Bitumen tanks performed well in both high- and low-frequency scenarios, and had better performance with significantly larger numbers of tanks or in months with higher power system inertia.