Fast Frequency Response for Future Low-Carbon Indian Power System: Challenges and Solutions

India has transitioned from being an energy-deficient nation to an energy-surplus nation. As of July 2023, India's power system has seen a rapid transformation, with renewable energy, including large hydro, accounting for 40% of the total installed capacity at 177 GW. The ongoing energy transition has not only changed the country's energy mix but also brought new challenges for system operators. The primary challenge is frequency instability due to the reduction of system inertia and governor-based primary frequency response (PFR) availability by large-scale integration of uncertain renewable energy resources (RES) such as wind and solar photovoltaic generators. Furthermore, the absence of frequency control ancillary services market, inadequate penetration of electric vehicles (EVs) and uncertainty of RES generation enhance the complexity of the frequency response services in the Indian power system. In this context, this paper presents a comprehensive review of the frequency response challenges of the future low-carbon Indian power system and underlines the new potential fast frequency response (FFR) services from advanced energy storage and renewable generation technologies. Such FFR services can be swiftly deployed in low-inertia grids through the integration of energy storage systems and inverter-based resources in a shorter span. Modeling of FFR services in security constraint unit commitment (SCUC) can enhance grid resiliency and facilitate high penetration of RES in the Indian power system without loss of frequency stability.