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Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number	NIA_NGET0154
Title	Smart Grid Forum Work Stream 7
Status	Completed
Energy Categories	Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electricity transmission and distribution) 100%;
Research Types	Applied Research and Development 100%
Science and Technology Fields	ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) 100%
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation	Not Cross-cutting 100%
Principal Investigator	Project Contact No email address given Electricity North West Limited
Award Type	Network Innovation Allowance
Funding Source	Ofgem
Start Date	01 July 2014
End Date	01 December 2015
Duration	17 months
Total Grant Value	£750,000
Industrial Sectors	Power
Region	North West
Programme	Network Innovation Allowance
Investigators	Principal Investigator	Project Contact , Electricity North West Limited (99.994%)
	Other Investigator	Project Contact , Western Power Distribution (0.001%) Project Contact , Scottish and Southern Energy plc (0.001%) Project Contact , SP Energy Networks (0.001%) Project Contact , UK Power Networks (0.001%) Project Contact , Northern Powergrid (0.001%) Project Contact , National Grid Electricity Transmission (0.001%)
Web Site	http://www.smarternetworks.org/project/NIA_NGET0154
Objectives	A key aim is to establish whether the roles and responsibilities of the parties that own, operate and interface with the electricity supply chain need to change and how. The study outputs are likely to have several components. Firstly, there will be a set of generic nodal distribution network models that have been demonstrated to be technically viable to meet the needs of 2030 users. Secondly, there will be a report highlighting the specific methods/solutions that have been used to ensure the technical viability of these networks. This may suggest that early attention should be applied (e.g. specific demonstration projects during ED1) to particular methods/solutions to ensure that they can be successfully deployed when needed. Thirdly, the roles and responsibilities of a DNO in 2030 in terms of supporting whole system optimisation will be described and contrasted with the position today. Again, this would be expected to lead to specific pieces of further development work through ED1.
Abstract	The DECC/Ofgem Smart Grid Forum was created by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and Ofgem to support the UK’s transition to a secure, safe, low carbon, affordable energy system. The main issue discussed within the DECC/Ofgem Smart Grid Forum is how electricity network companies will address significant new challenges as they play their role in the decarbonisation of electricity supply. The Smart Grid Forum has established a number of Work Stream (WS) to examine particular aspects of future networks. This Specification of work for a WS7 study is a continuation of work started by WS2 and continued by WS3 to deepen our understanding of what a future distribution network is and how it will operate. The first issue, which was pursued in WS2 was; do smart grids make economic sense? WS2 ( ref 2) answered this in the affirmative, albeit it at a very high level, with its cost-benefit analysis (CBA). This was followed by a detailed study into what this smart grid might consist of. WS3 addressed this with the Transform model (ref 3), based on the work of WS2, but providing much more detail about the solutions that might be deployed and in what volume. However, the Transform model was not designed to validate the technical viability of the overall system it foresaw. WS7 is a natural further progression into the detail, questioning how it can be ensured that the smart grid that Transform has described will be technically viable and to establish how the whole system might operate most efficiently and resiliently in a 2030 scenario with a clear focus on the impacts for our distribution networks. The purpose is to gain knowledge and confidence in our network/system development options to deliver a secure and affordable system and to feed this back into the development of commercial and regulatory analysis. In summary therefore, this WS7 study is intended to carry out the technical analysis necessary to confirm in more detail how the types of networks described by the Transform outputs will be realised. This will both confirm its technical viability and provide an understanding of its characteristics, for example, to identify what control co-ordination may be required to ensure reliable and robust whole-system operation. Most importantly, it will, from a technical perspective, highlight any new roles and responsibilities that a DNO will be required to accept. The preliminary " Schedule of Challenges for 2030" and respective "Questions to be Answered" have already been established by WS7, and provide the basis for the first two stages of work. Stage 1 - Post Tender Discussions to confirm the availability of modelling tools, techniques and data sources, the approach proposed, depth and content of deliverables that will be required to address the issues identified in the list of Challenges and related Questions in Section 3 below. Contract placed following Stage 1. Stage 2 - Develop and agree two scenarios (i.e.2030 scenarios), and the sensitivity testing to be applied, to be studied and the two ‘base’ networks to be used. The base networks will be distribution focused but with sufficiently detailed representation of the whole system to ensure that whole systems issues can be modelled as required to address the Questions to be Answered. Stage 3 At this point, the Lead Contractor shall provide a formal report on the findings to date. The Questions examined in Stage 2 will be reviewed with the Lead Contractor and WS7 SG members, in the light these findings, to ensure that there is a strong level of agreement about them, prior to commencement of the remaining three stages of work under the contract. Discussions at this stage will confirm the use cases, and sensitivity analyses and will encompass the modelling tools and base networks described in Sections 4 and 5 here. The milestone at the end of Stage 3 will be confirmation by WS7 SG to the Lead Contractor of: The questions to be answered. The models to be used. The data (networks and scenarios) to be used the go ahead to proceed with the remainder of the contract Stages 4,5 & 6These Stages form the study execution phase. The base networks adopted in stage 3 will be developed (i.e. smart solutions and reinforcements applied) so that they are able to accommodate the plant/demand scenarios agreed in Stage 2. These 2030 networks will then be tested in Stage 5 to see how they perform. It is expected that Stages 4 and 5 will iterate until viable solutions are established which meet agreed performance criteria ( see Para 6. 2 below). The approach to network modelling is discussed further in Section 4 of this report Stage 4 - Propose developments to the base networks to accommodate the 2030 scenarios, both at the level of power system architecture and power system equipment. This will highlight any material transition issues. Stage 5 - Carry out the Studies (see 1. 2) and report the results. The resilience of the system should be considered including its ability to be restored in the event of major failures. Stage 6 - Identify potential new/changed activities/responsibilities necessary to allow successful operation of the 2030 system (the focus being the distribution system) and a comprehensive analysis of the results from Stage 5 will be carried out. This analysis will in turn provide answers to the questions set out in Section 3 in a form that is relevant to the respective stakeholders. There will also be a commentary on the reliance on input assumptions and therefore how stable/robust the answers are likely to be, together with implications for future Research & Development.Note : Project Documents may be available via the ENA Smarter Networks Portal using the Website link above
Publications	(none)
Final Report	(none)
Added to Database	14/12/18