Electrifying Thermal Loads Vs. Installing Batteries: A Case Study On Fast Frequency Resource Potentials of The Victorian Power System

Literature suggests different technologies and control algorithms to counteract the decrease in system damping and inertia caused by the increasing penetration of inverter-interfaced resources in renewable power systems. Published studies generally focus on comparing different control mechanisms for a single technology and examine a limited number of operating conditions. Technology comparisons are typically limited to small test cases, base on assumptions that no longer hold in renewable-rich systems or are solely based on literature reviews. This work thoroughly compares fast-frequency reserve provision from inverter-based active thermal loads (ATLs) against battery storage. As such, we employ a large- scale multi-level test case representing the future Victorian power system and link steady-state and dynamic analysis. We examine the frequency and voltage performance following distinct disturbances for five days with hourly resolutions. The results suggest that the potential for electrifying residential heating demand in Victoria is enormous and can significantly enhance frequency metrics. Generally, the improvements achieved with the aggregation of ATLs are similar or even higher than employing a large battery.