Dynamic Congestion Strategies for Distribution Grids
To prevent congestion and subsequent disconnections at multiple points in distribution grids, SMPnet’s congestion management solution simultaneously prevents overloads, maintains optimal voltage levels and unlocks additional capacity.
Industry Challenge
The operational challenges of managing and coordinating grid assets, Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), and fluctuating loads have led Distribution System Operators (DSOs) to face significant congestion issues in distribution grids, caused by thermal overloads and voltage violations. These issues result in underutilised capacity, where grid assets (e.g., substations and cables) are not used to their full potential due to fear of overloading and the lack of coordination to effectively utilise available capacity during periods of low load or generation.
At the same time, from an operational point of view, there are frequent disconnections, as grid elements are disconnected to prevent damage from overloads, leading to reliability and availability issues for grid operations, customers, and generators.
This problem extends to overspending on reinforcements to build capacity, often overcompensating for capacity headroom. The inability to coordinate grid assets, DERs, and fluctuating loads can result in significant operational inefficiencies and increased costs for DSOs.
Costly and complex – the impact of congestion on grid distribution
Solution
Our dynamic congestion management solution prevents congestion and subsequent disconnections at multiple points in distribution grids, including substations and DER sites.
By introducing adaptive optimisation, the proposed solution orchestrates multiple grid assets (e.g., transformer tap changers) to execute dynamic congestion strategies, simultaneously preventing overloads, maintaining optimal voltage levels, avoiding unnecessary disconnections, and unlocking additional capacity.
Operators can deploy this solution and integrate grid assets and DERs alongside any existing system (e.g., SCADA and DERMS) without bypassing current practices and systems. The congestion management strategies can be applied manually or automatically, providing operators with actionable insights and enhanced control over grid operations.
Strengthening DSO response to congestion and disconnections
Key Characteristics
- Wide Area Active and Reactive Power Dispatch: Enables optimisation and dispatch of both active and reactive power, managing congestions and ensuring voltage stability across wide areas.
- Integrated Power Flows: Facilitates integrated power flows with automatic reporting and real-time insights, enhancing visibility and decision-making.
- Physics-Informed Digital Twin: Utilises a high-fidelity model of the grid and DERs capable of capturing grid dynamics accurately, minimising discrepancies between predicted and actual performance.
- Optimal Strategy Selection: Employs digital twin technology and real-time measurements to manually or automatically test different congestion management strategies, ensuring robust scheduling before actual implementation.
- Seamless Integration: Compatible with existing systems (e.g., SCADA, DERMS, ADMS) and various communication protocols and standards (e.g., IEC 61850, DNP3, IEC60860- 104, CIM).
- Enhanced Cybersecurity: Incorporates NIST Zero Trust Architecture and ISO 27001 standards, ensuring robust security for all grid management operations and data exchanges.
