In highly renewables penetrated grids, Distributed Energy Resources (DER) play a very important role in grid stability and reliability, as well as new type of loads like electric mobility and storage.
Bearing in mind the grid reliability as an objective for a modern utility, management of DER and Load stochasticity is a key capability, which has to be implemented through different measures, specially grid management technologies to ensure succeeding the goal .
Reliability is based on Stability, in which is to tolerate and compensate for disturbances to maintain proper settings of quantities like voltage and power flow
In terms of transmission grids stability means avoiding cascading failures and for distribution grids, it is more of a local reliability issue. (DEO-OE Modern Distribution Grid report)
Due to intermittent nature of loads and generations in modern grids, dealing, supervising and coping with their stochasticity is a crucial capability for every 21st century electric power utility, specially at the distribution level.
In general such capability means the ability to assess and respond to changes, minimalizing costs, and emissions impacts, while maintaining the grid reliability (DEO-OE Modern Distribution Grid report).
To be able to manage DER and Load stochasticity, one of the main features that has to be implemented as business process function in grid management solution is DER Operational Control, along with others like Observability, Volt/Var management, power quality management, integration of maintenance planning with grid operation and of course cyber-security management.
Operational DER control can be seen as complete integration of DERMS functionality into ADMS/EMS system, and the real-time direct or indirect control or coordination of DERs through manual or automated control actions, in order to optimize network operations, to maintain the reliability of the system, and to avoid congestion. The solution can be centrally or a combination of central and edge systems.
A desirable DERMS solutions should make DER management part of daily grid management functionality, including
- Load and generation forecast
- Congestion forecast
- DER grouping
- Commanding
- Curtailment (fair)
- Reporting
- Automating congestion resolution.
All the network calculation functions should also consider DERs generation in the system. DER should be part of every second load flow calculation, contingency analysis, and load/generation balancing mechanisms.
Such a modern gird management solution should consider all grid operation affairs in one package. It should act like a proactive grid management solutions. Including cyclic study of the system in their routine operation, foreseeing any load/generation disruptions, help to predict possible congestions and provide counter measures to avoid future problems in the network.
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