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Title: Identification of Potential Locations for Placement of Strategic Transformers Reserve in Puerto Rico

Abstract

Extreme weather events such as tropical storms cause extensive damage to energy infrastructures including generator stations, substations, poles, transformers, power transmission lines, etc. due to their presence in hazardous locations. Often these damages lead to long term power outage as was seen in Puerto Rico (PR) following the landfall of Hurricane Maria (2017). A potential solution to long-term power outage is strategic placement of reserve generators and transformers that would ensure continued power supply to enable restoration and recovery activities. The strategic placement of energy storage devices requires identification of potential sites such that (i) the damage from extreme events to energy infrastructures is minimized, (ii) power supply is optimized, and (iii) installation of these infrastructures is cost effective. To meet this goal, in this research, a Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) technique-based site suitability analysis was implemented to identify potential sites for reserve generators and transformers in PR. To determine suitable sites and existing government facilities, the following steps were implemented: (i) identify physical, environmental, technical and socio-economic factors contributing to site suitability; (ii) determine siting constraints based on guidelines and standards used for energy sector (i.e., siting of nuclear plants, solar or wind farms), (iii) implement a raster data modelmore » using 30m x 30m spatial resolution to create suitability layers for each factor, (iv) combine suitability and exclusionary layers to create the final suitability layer. Results show that six hospitals, four colleges and universities, and five correctional facilities are in very high suitability areas and could be used for to store reserve generators. These facilities are in the eastern, south-eastern, south-western, and southern part of the island except for one correctional facility that is in the northern part of PR. Not surprisingly, coastal areas were found to be unsuitable for siting any energy facility. More than half (55.9%) of the island was also found to be unsuitable while only 14% of the island was found to be very highly suitable. Further assessment of current power plants and sub-stations indicated that only 16% and 42% of existing power plants and sub-stations respectively are in suitable areas. Given that northern part of the island lacks any facility that could be used for placement of reserve generators, suitable sites identified in this region could be used for placement of storage devices.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Electricity (OE)
OSTI Identifier:
1491314
Report Number(s):
ORNL/TM-2018/1047
DOE Contract Number:  
AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION; 29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY; 24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION

Citation Formats

Omitaomu, Olufemi A., Kotikot, Susan M., and Kar, Bandana. Identification of Potential Locations for Placement of Strategic Transformers Reserve in Puerto Rico. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.2172/1491314.
Omitaomu, Olufemi A., Kotikot, Susan M., & Kar, Bandana. Identification of Potential Locations for Placement of Strategic Transformers Reserve in Puerto Rico. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1491314
Omitaomu, Olufemi A., Kotikot, Susan M., and Kar, Bandana. 2018. "Identification of Potential Locations for Placement of Strategic Transformers Reserve in Puerto Rico". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1491314. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1491314.
@article{osti_1491314,
title = {Identification of Potential Locations for Placement of Strategic Transformers Reserve in Puerto Rico},
author = {Omitaomu, Olufemi A. and Kotikot, Susan M. and Kar, Bandana},
abstractNote = {Extreme weather events such as tropical storms cause extensive damage to energy infrastructures including generator stations, substations, poles, transformers, power transmission lines, etc. due to their presence in hazardous locations. Often these damages lead to long term power outage as was seen in Puerto Rico (PR) following the landfall of Hurricane Maria (2017). A potential solution to long-term power outage is strategic placement of reserve generators and transformers that would ensure continued power supply to enable restoration and recovery activities. The strategic placement of energy storage devices requires identification of potential sites such that (i) the damage from extreme events to energy infrastructures is minimized, (ii) power supply is optimized, and (iii) installation of these infrastructures is cost effective. To meet this goal, in this research, a Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) technique-based site suitability analysis was implemented to identify potential sites for reserve generators and transformers in PR. To determine suitable sites and existing government facilities, the following steps were implemented: (i) identify physical, environmental, technical and socio-economic factors contributing to site suitability; (ii) determine siting constraints based on guidelines and standards used for energy sector (i.e., siting of nuclear plants, solar or wind farms), (iii) implement a raster data model using 30m x 30m spatial resolution to create suitability layers for each factor, (iv) combine suitability and exclusionary layers to create the final suitability layer. Results show that six hospitals, four colleges and universities, and five correctional facilities are in very high suitability areas and could be used for to store reserve generators. These facilities are in the eastern, south-eastern, south-western, and southern part of the island except for one correctional facility that is in the northern part of PR. Not surprisingly, coastal areas were found to be unsuitable for siting any energy facility. More than half (55.9%) of the island was also found to be unsuitable while only 14% of the island was found to be very highly suitable. Further assessment of current power plants and sub-stations indicated that only 16% and 42% of existing power plants and sub-stations respectively are in suitable areas. Given that northern part of the island lacks any facility that could be used for placement of reserve generators, suitable sites identified in this region could be used for placement of storage devices.},
doi = {10.2172/1491314},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1491314}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}