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This paper introduces new techniques for efficient use of electromagnetic transient simulators combined with optimization algorithms to optimize power systems with converter-tied renewable resources. This work is motivated by several challenges that must be overcome for simulation-based optimal design, including high computational burden of simulating large switching systems, repetitive nature of the design cycle, and large number of variables that need to be handled. Two screening methods are proposed in this paper to identify the parameters that do not influence the optimal solution significantly and hence can be ignored. Moreover, hybridization of optimization algorithms and parallel processing techniques are explored to achieve additional computational benefits. Case studies of systems with different complexity and number of variables are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed techniques. • Several new methods for accelerated simulation-based optimization of power systems are introduced. • Screening methods for removing non-influential parameters from optimization are introduced. • Parallel processing and hybrid, multi-solver algorithms are introduced. • Examples of power systems with renewable resources are shown to quantify the benefits of the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes methods and issues related to interfacing electromagnetic transient simulation programs with general mathematical algorithms, which are either custom-developed by the user or are available through other mathematical analysis platforms. Various interfacing types and techniques are described along with potential areas of application. Implementation methods are detailed for each type of interface as well. This paper presents several interfacing examples from a wide variety of applications, including advanced switching schemes for power converters and controller implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electromagnetic transient simulation programs (emtp-type programs) are powerful tools for the study of a wide range of power system transient problems. This paper introduces a novel tool in which an emtp-type program becomes the objective function evaluator for a nonlinear optimization algorithm. In this approach, the nonlinear optimization program is given control to perform several consecutive runs with a view to minimize (or maximize) the desired objective function, which is computed from the results of each simulation run. Since the optimization algorithm strategically selects the parameters for the emtp run, the overall design process is orders of magnitude faster than that possible from sequential or random (Monte Carlo-type) multiple-runs of the emtp-type program. The paper discusses the mechanics of the interface as well as design of objective functions. The power of the proposed method is demonstrated through two examples for the design of power-electronic converters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]