Utilising demand flexibility in electricity distribution networks

The modulation to sustainable vigor sources similar upwind and star and the instauration of electrical vehicles and vigor pumps are putting a increasing strain connected our energy organisation networks. To forestall overloading and reinforcing the network, which is costly and time-consuming, regulators are progressively looking to caller and flexible ways of controlling demand. Ph.D. researcher Rik Fonteijn of the section of Electrical Engineering has developed applicable tools that tin assistance organisation strategy operators utilize request flexibility successful their regular operations. Fonteijn volition support his thesis connected Friday 29 October.

The energy transition is gaining momentum, with sustainable sources similar upwind turbines and solar panels progressively being introduced successful organisation networks. Simultaneously, the instauration of electrical vehicles and heat pumps has enactment an other load connected existing organisation networks.

Traditionally, organisation networks are designed and reinforced based connected the expected highest load, to forestall overloading oregon web congestion. Alternatively, organisation strategy operators (DSOs) tin usage demand-side flexibility to debar oregon postpone costly reinforcements, oregon to span the clip it takes to implicit reinforcements. This is an exertion which the Dutch regulator is presently successful the process of enabling.

In past research, assorted mechanisms (e.g. price-based schemes, tariff changes, flexibility markets, nonstop control) to power lawsuit request person been considered, analyzed and tested successful the field. This has shown that request flexibility tin lick congestion problems (either wholly oregon partially).

Daily operation

However, integrating the antithetic aspects and providing DSOs with the indispensable tools to utilize flexibility for congestion absorption successful regular operation, is simply a taxable that has not yet been extensively researched. Rik Fonteijn's thesis truthful focused connected flexibility utilization successful regular cognition from a organisation strategy perspective.

He developed a model to operationalise flexibility and implemented it successful a aviator setup. The model consists of 4 steps: information acquisition, load forecasting, decision-making and flexibility mechanics interfacing. The implementation of the four-step model shows that by utilizing load forecasting and a decision-making algorithm that considers the outgo of beingness simplification successful lawsuit of overloading, the DSO tin marque a just valuation connected whether to bargain flexibility oregon to judge an overloading. This results successful competitory prices of flexibility compared to prices occurring connected existing wholesale and balancing markets.

Compensation

After the DSO has obtained flexibility from marketplace parties, the delivered flexibility needs to beryllium financially compensated. When flexibility is provided, the behaviour of the flexibility root tin beryllium captured by load measurements. It is, however, not imaginable to besides measurement the behaviour of a flexibility root successful lawsuit nary flexibility is provided.

The expected behaviour is truthful captured by a alleged baseline, based connected which the DSO tin settee the delivered flexibility. Traditional baselining methods are not suitable for remunerating adaptable flexibility sources specified arsenic (curtailment of) star power.

Fonteijn proposes an alternate attack to find a baseline for colony betwixt DSO and aggregator. This attack combines the humanities method with upwind information of the infinitesimal flexibility is provided. It is shown that this tin amended the baseline of star powerfulness compared to accepted methods.

Practical tools

By integrating, adapting and expanding connected existing research, Fonteijn has developed applicable tools indispensable to commencement utilizing flexibility successful regular cognition to DSOs. These tools are integrated successful an integral model of a four-step attack and alteration the DSO to petition their flexibility needs from marketplace parties. This probe illustrates that the projected concepts tin enactment not lone successful theory, but tin beryllium adapted and utilized successful a applicable (pilot) context.

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