Simon Julien

Denver Metropolitan Area
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About

I am dedicated to driving innovation from the ideation of early-stage technical R&D to…

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Publications

  • A CHIL Validation of Machine Learning-Assisted Methods for Real-Time Controls of Solar PV for Grid Services

    NREL/52nd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference

    Recent research has highlighted the potential for solar to act as a zero-marginal-cost and zero-emission flexibility resource on the bulk power system when operated with advanced control systems. To increase the performance of these systems, leading technologies, including machine learning (ML) and hierarchical inverter set point allocation, have been proposed; however, these technologies lack comprehensive validation under real-world application scenarios. This paper addresses this gap by…

    Recent research has highlighted the potential for solar to act as a zero-marginal-cost and zero-emission flexibility resource on the bulk power system when operated with advanced control systems. To increase the performance of these systems, leading technologies, including machine learning (ML) and hierarchical inverter set point allocation, have been proposed; however, these technologies lack comprehensive validation under real-world application scenarios. This paper addresses this gap by designing and developing a controller-hardware-in-the-loop framework to evaluate the performance of different flexible solar technologies in responding to automatic generation control signals in a closed-loop fashion. Simulation results indicate the superior performance of an ML-based approach compared to the conventional reference-control grouping-based approach, showcasing its potential to support grid stability and operational efficiency.

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  • Hardware-in-the-Loop Evaluation for Potential High Limit Estimation-Based PV Plant Active Control

    IEEE/ National Renewable Energy Lab

    This paper validates the efficacy of an artificial
    intelligence (AI)-based photovoltaic (PV) plant control and optimization approach in enabling PV plants as accountable grid reliability service providers. The validation is performed in a realistic laboratory controller-hardware-in-the-loop environment, leveraging accurate PV plant modeling and standard industrial communication protocols. Through simulations that account for diverse weather conditions and active control scenarios, the…

    This paper validates the efficacy of an artificial
    intelligence (AI)-based photovoltaic (PV) plant control and optimization approach in enabling PV plants as accountable grid reliability service providers. The validation is performed in a realistic laboratory controller-hardware-in-the-loop environment, leveraging accurate PV plant modeling and standard industrial communication protocols. Through simulations that account for diverse weather conditions and active control scenarios, the results highlight the superior performance of the AI-based solution in comparison to a state-of-the-art reference-control groupingbased approach. Such a finding contributes to mitigating the risk of overcurtailment and uninstructed deviations of active PV plant controls, and offers practical guidance for its field deployment. Furthermore, it establishes a standardized testing framework for comparing various PV active control strategies.

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  • Applying Dynamic Modeling, Simulation, and Advanced Controls to Improve State-Of-The-Art Smart Inverter Technologies for Variable Renewable Power Systems

    University of Colorado at Boulder ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

    Graduate thesis on inverter-based resource impacts and proposed control solutions for managing high renewable penetrations on future power systems.

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  • Hierarchical Control of Utility-Scale Solar PV Plants for Mitigation of Generation Variability and Ancillary Service Provision

    IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy

    This paper presents a hierarchical control system to mitigate the variability of solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant and provide ancillary services to the electric grid without the need for additional non-solar resources. With coordinated management of each inverter in the system, the control system commands the power plant to proactively curtail a small fraction of its instantaneous maximum power potential, which gives the plant enough headroom to ramp up production from the overall power…

    This paper presents a hierarchical control system to mitigate the variability of solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant and provide ancillary services to the electric grid without the need for additional non-solar resources. With coordinated management of each inverter in the system, the control system commands the power plant to proactively curtail a small fraction of its instantaneous maximum power potential, which gives the plant enough headroom to ramp up production from the overall power plant, for a service such as regulation reserve. This control system is practical for continuously changing cloud cover conditions in partially cloudy days. A case study from a site in Hawaii with one-second resolution solar irradiance data is used to verify the efficacy of the proposed control system. The proposed control algorithm is subsequently compared with the alternative control technology from the literature, the grouping control algorithm; the results show that the proposed hierarchical control system is over 10 times more effective in reducing generator mileage to support power fluctuations from solar PV power plants.

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  • Stability and control of power systems with high penetrations of inverter-based resources: an accessible review of current knowledge and open questions

    International Solar Society Journal, Elsevier Ltd, 2020

    As power system renewable energy penetrations increase, the ways in which key renewable technologies such as wind and solar photovoltaics (PV) differ from thermal generators become more apparent. Many studies have examined the variability and uncertainty of such generators and described how generation and load can be balanced for a wide variety of annual energy penetrations, at timescales from seconds to years. Another important characteristic of these resources is asynchronicity, the result of…

    As power system renewable energy penetrations increase, the ways in which key renewable technologies such as wind and solar photovoltaics (PV) differ from thermal generators become more apparent. Many studies have examined the variability and uncertainty of such generators and described how generation and load can be balanced for a wide variety of annual energy penetrations, at timescales from seconds to years. Another important characteristic of these resources is asynchronicity, the result of using inverters to interface the prime energy source with the power system as opposed to synchronous generators. Unlike synchronous generators, whose frequency of alternating current (AC) injection is physically coupled to the rotation of the machine itself, inverter based asynchronous generators do not share the same physical coupling with the generated frequency. These subtle differences impact the operations of power systems developed around the characteristics of synchronous generators. In this paper we review current knowledge and open research questions concerning the interplay between asynchronous inverter-based resources (IBRs) and cycle- to second-scale power system dynamics, with a focus on how stability and control may be impacted or need to be achieved differently when there are high instantaneous penetrations of IBRs across an interconnection. This work does not seek to provide a comprehensive review of the latest developments, but is instead intended to be accessible to any reader with an engineering background and an interest in power systems and renewable energy. As such, the paper includes basic material on power electronics, control schemes for IBRs, and power system stability; and uses this background material to describe potential impacts of IBRs on power system stability, operational challenges associated with large amounts of distributed IBR generation, and modern power system simulation trends driven by IBR characteristics.

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Patents

Honors & Awards

  • DOE American Made Solar Grand Prize Champion

    US Department of Energy

    Multi-million-dollar prize competition designed to energize U.S. solar manufacturing through a series of contests and the development of a diverse and powerful support network that leverages national laboratories, energy incubators, and other resources across the country.

  • Class of 2021 Undergraduate Researcher Award

    -

  • Bold Scholar

    BOLD at CU Boulder

    Broadening Opportunity through Leadership and Diversity Scholarship

  • Engineering Honors RAP student

    CU Boulder

    Honors Engineering Residential Academic Program

  • Esteemed Scholar

    CU Boulder

    President James J. Baker Award

Organizations

  • Coalition For Community Solar Access

    Affiliate Member & Interconnection Working Group

    - Present

    CCSA is made up of more than 100 businesses and nonprofits that are building the electric grid of the future where every customer has the freedom to support the generation of clean, local solar energy to power their lives.

  • NREL West Gate (DOE LEEP)

    Innovator

    - Present

    Selected innovators' core technologies align with NREL's research mission to advance energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, and renewable power to optimize energy systems. West Gate embeds innovators at NREL and pairs them with scientists who specialize in the innovators' technology areas. Throughout the program's 2-year runway, innovators work with scientists in NREL's world-class laboratories to de-risk their technologies, ready them for market, and grow their startup companies.

  • Classrooms for Climate Action

    Board Member

    - Present

    Classrooms for Climate Action supports teachers and students to integrate climate science, technology, and policy into standard curriculums.

  • Colorado Cleantech Industries Association (CCIA)

    Fellow

    - Present

    Founded in 2008, CCIA impacts Colorado’s policies, innovators, products, and programs that drive expansion of a cleaner, more affordable, efficient, and secure energy economy. Through advocacy, public policy leadership, development, and education, CCIA works to ensure that Colorado is a global cleantech leader. Cleantech’s wide umbrella encompasses clean energy technologies and services from across the energy spectrum. This diversity allows CCIA to offer broad educational opportunities, access…

    Founded in 2008, CCIA impacts Colorado’s policies, innovators, products, and programs that drive expansion of a cleaner, more affordable, efficient, and secure energy economy. Through advocacy, public policy leadership, development, and education, CCIA works to ensure that Colorado is a global cleantech leader. Cleantech’s wide umbrella encompasses clean energy technologies and services from across the energy spectrum. This diversity allows CCIA to offer broad educational opportunities, access to an expansive professional network and creative collaboration opportunities. Through the strength of the CCIA’s member community, CCIA is able to provide the support needed to help grow the global cleantech economy.

  • Techstars Alumni Network

    Alumni

    - Present

  • Alliance for Mathematical Sciences

    -

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  • Engineering Honors Program

    Student Member

    -

  • National Society of Black Engineers

    Member

    -

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