Optimum Wide Area Power Flow Control Solutions

Completed

Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research(Energy system analysis)
Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electricity transmission and distribution)

Applied Research and Development

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Computer Science and Informatics)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Project Contact
National Grid Electricity Transmission

Network Innovation Allowance

Ofgem

01 June 2023

31 October 2025

ENA months

£857,938

Power

London

Network Innovation Allowance

Project Contact, National Grid Electricity Transmission

"The project proposes to develop a planning tool to coordinate the dispatch of MPFC devices to maximise network utilisation and reduce network constraints building on the previous works which Smart Wires and EirGrid collaborated on. Power system studies will also be carried out to ensure the recommended set points do not violate system condition requirements in other locations. Optimal deployment locations of additional MPFCs will be investigated and recommended to realise potential additional capacity on a given network. The project will also investigate how to further increase the utilisation of the network capacity by incorporating other technologies such as DLR (Dynamic Line Rating) within the developed tool. If the above development is successful, the project will be further developed on to facilitate a field trial in an operational environment." "The detail scope of work is set out below.Work Package 1: Power System Studies and Coordinated Control Planning ToolInvestigate optimal current and future installations of power flow control SmartValve devices against various credible future scenarios to increase network utilisation.Identify the potential benefits from optimising set points for Modular Power Flow Controls (MPFCs) in the network.Analyse the boundary capacity increase from utilising the optimised locations of MPFCs and the recommended operational set points for all devices.Develop a National grid network library compatible with existing algorithm to optimise multiple MPFC solutions.Recommend control modes and set points to increase the power flow allowance across one or more boundaries.Validate the developed planning tool with the recommended set points do not violate system condition requirement in other locations.Work Package 2: Combining Technologies and Implementation AssessmentWork Package 2 of the project is dependent on the outcomes of Work Package 1.Investigate the feasibility of further expanding the developed coordinated planning tool by integrating with other potential optimisation technologies.Further develop the coordinated control planning tool to include other technologies like DLR to best utilise the network capacity.Implement the tool in both offline and online operational planning.Identify further development needs of the planning tool.Work package 3: Operational Trial and Implementation in an Operational SettingWork Package 3 of the project is dependent on the outcomes of Work Package 1 and 2.Refine the developed wide area planning tool for long term planning in an operational environment.Trial the refined tool in a way without requiring interaction with the EMS to show the benefit of an autonomous controller for changing set points.Conduct an operational trail of a combined DLR and MPFC solution to maximise network benefit.Update the implementation assessment for fully autonomous control in a control room environment." "Successfully develop the coordinated control planning tool.Demonstrate the developed tool can increase the available boundary capacity whilst using the existing power flow control deployments. Identify the optimal locations for future MPFCs in the network. Identify the feasibility of further expanding the developed coordinated control planning tool with other technologies."

The project proposes to develop a planning tool to coordinate the dispatch of MPFC devices to maximise network utilisation and reduce network constraints building on the previous works which Smart Wires and EirGrid collaborated on. Power system studies will also be conducted to ensure the recommended set points do not violate system condition requirements in other locations. Optimal deployment locations of additional MPFCs will be investigated and recommended to realise potential additional capacity on a given network. The project will also investigate how to further increase the utilisation of the network capacity by incorporating other technologies such as DLR (Dynamic Line Rating) within the developed tool.

12/10/23