University of Idaho doctoral student Derrick Agbenya is studying how advanced power systems can remain stable and secure as electricity demand grows.
Agbenya, an intern at Idaho National Laboratory, uses computer simulations at INL’s Power and Energy Real-Time Laboratory. The laboratory’s Digital Real-Time Simulators are connected to a microgrid test bed at the Energy Systems Laboratory.
His microgrid combines nuclear and solar electricity with batteries designed for long-duration storage. The research examines systems serving individual customers, data centers and the broader electric grid.
Solar arrays and battery systems can disconnect from the larger grid and continue supplying power independently. That operating condition is known as islanding.
Agbenya also studies small modular reactors equipped with advanced safety features. The simulations can introduce random electrical faults and recreate historical events, allowing researchers to examine responses to equipment failures, cyberattacks and abrupt changes in demand.
“We have to increase our generation capacity,” Agbenya said.
The project is part of a broader effort to modernize the nation’s electrical infrastructure and is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity.
Jeremiah Gilbert, an INL power engineer, mentors Agbenya on the work. “We are ushering in a new generation of power systems,” Gilbert said.