It is essential to improve the resiliency of power distribution systems (PDS) given the increase in extreme weather events, number of malicious threats, and consumers' need for higher reliability. This paper provides a formal approach to evaluate the operational resiliency of PDS and quantify the resiliency of a system using a code-based metric. A combination of steady state and dynamic simulation tools is used to determine the resiliency metric. Dynamic simulation tools help analyzing the impact of short-term events, which might affect operational resiliency in the long term. A dynamic optimization algorithm for changing operating criteria to increase the sustainability of the most critical loads has been proposed. The proposed theoretical approach is validated using a simple PDS model and simulation results demonstrate the ability to quantify the resiliency using the proposed code-based metric. The time-dependent quantification of resiliency has been demonstrated on a test system of two connected Consortium of Electric Reliability Technology Solutions (CERTS) microgrids.

This paper presents a real-time simulation with a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL)-based approach for verifying the performance of electrolyzer systems in providing grid support. Hydrogen refueling stations may use electrolyzer systems to generate hydrogen and are proposed to have the potential of becoming smarter loads that can proactively provide grid services. On the basis of experimental findings, electrolyzer systems with balance of plant are observed to have a high level of controllability and hence can add flexibility to the grid from the demand side. A generic front end controller (FEC) is proposed, which enables an optimal operation of the load on the basis of market and grid conditions. This controller has been simulated and tested in a real-time environment with electrolyzer hardware for a performance assessment. It can optimize the operation of electrolyzer systems on the basis of the information collected by a communication module. Real-time simulation tests are performed to verify the performance of the FEC-driven electrolyzers to provide grid support that enables flexibility, greater economic revenue, and grid support for hydrogen producers under dynamic conditions. The FEC proposed in this paper is tested with electrolyzers, however, it is proposed as a generic control topology that is applicable to any load.