Abstract

The Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine Tunnel is one of the major access points to the island of
Montreal, and in conjunction with the bridge, it is the longest underwater tunnel-bridge in Canada.
Recent reports estimate that around 130,000 vehicles commute through the tunnel daily. High
operational standards are required to ensure the safety of commuters. Hence, high-stress levels are
reflected on the electrical grid. The high tension levels on electrical power grids and the expensive
price of peak power demand have prompted both the consumer and the utility to adopt Energy
Storage Systems (ESS) for peak load shaving.
In this thesis, a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is sized and controlled to reduce
the constraints imposed on the electrical grid by the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine Tunnel by means
of peak load shaving. The peak load reduction is attained through peak load shaving by utilizing a
BESS, and also through energy and peak load shaving by using BESS in conjunction with
Photovoltaics solar cells (PV). Also in this thesis, a control scheme is developed for Voltage
Source Inverters (VSI) used in peak shaving applications. The developed control first allows the
VSI to interface peak shaving systems with the grid reducing stress levels imposed on the grid,
and secondly, play the role of power factor correction for reactive power compensation, and
finally, to implement the capabilities of active harmonic filters and harmonic mitigation techniques
to suppress the harmonic content in the line current.