Carbon-Aware Optimal Power Flow

Abstract

To facilitate effective decarbonization of the electric energy sector, this paper introduces a generic Carbon-aware Optimal Power Flow (C-OPF) methodology for power system decision-making that considers the active management of the grid's carbon footprints. Built upon conventional Optimal Power Flow (OPF) models, the proposed C-OPF model further integrates carbon emission flow equations and constraints, as well as carbon-related objectives, to co-optimize electric power flow and carbon emission flow across the power grid. Essentially, the proposed C-OPF can be viewed as a carbon-aware generalization of OPF. Moreover, this paper rigorously establishes the conditions that guarantee the feasibility and solution uniqueness of the carbon emission flow equations, and it proposes a reformulation technique to address the critical issue of undetermined power flow directions in the C-OPF model. Furthermore, two novel carbon footprint models for energy storage systems are developed and incorporated into the C-OPF method. Numerical simulations demonstrate the characteristics and effectiveness of the C-OPF method, in comparison with conventional OPF solutions.