Network technologies
to be trialled
The main network technology solutions being trialled are Enhanced Automatic Voltage Control (EAVC), Real Time Thermal Rating (RTTR) and Energy Storage Systems (ESS).
EAVC offers two significant enhancements over current approaches, namely; measuring and responding to voltage at the point of delivery, rather than deep in the network remote from customers; and ensuring that series active voltage control devices, e.g. primary substation on-load tap-changers and HV series voltage regulators, act in harmony.
RTTR uses a combination of measurement and estimation to assess the power flow headroom on a given asset.
The project will develop and test an integrated solution for RTTR, EAVC, customer response (
studied in learning outcome 2) and storage.
The link between RTTR and customer response/storage means that if an asset is in danger of overheating, an appropriate response can be activated to reduce the load on it.
Customer response/ storage can also be used in conjunction with EAVC where the customers and network connected to a given active controller are not homogenous. For example, if a primary substation has one feeder with a large load and another with a large generator, an EAVC scheme at the primary substation cannot always reconcile voltages along both feeders. Changing power flows by calling customer response can change feeder voltage profiles to resolve the conflict.