Presented by Achour Oudjedi, Grid Expert | R&D Projects, HESPUL
What Attendees Will Learn:
Enhancing the Reliability of the Distribution Grid Supporting Local Grid Stability by providing localized ancillary services. The focus is on mitigating issues like grid congestion and voltage instability, especially in areas with a high concentration of renewable energy sources.
Innovative Grid-Control Techniques: Utilising pioneering methods to control pools of PV and wind installations as a Virtual Power Plant (VPP). to aggregate renewable energy systems to respond dynamically to grid requirements, stabilizing the grid even as renewable energy penetration rises.
Scaling for European Energy Goals: As the European Union pushes for a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, such projects are critical to supports EU climate targets by demonstrating that renewables can also contribute to ancillary services typically provided by traditional power plants.
Identifying High-Impact Zones for Ancillary Services: Identifying areas within the distribution grid that are most vulnerable to congestion and voltage fluctuation and analyzing zones with high renewable penetration, especially those experiencing grid strain from distributed PV and wind sources.
Localizing Grid Support: By focusing on these impact areas, it allows renewable plants to support the grid precisely where it's most needed, reducing the dependency on central grid support and ensuring more robust, localized solutions.
Tailoring Solutions for Urban and Rural Grids: How to tailor ancillary services to the specific needs of varied environments, offering a more versatile and adaptive model for future grid enhancements (e.g. different challenges compared to rural or industrial areas).
Connection to the Virtual Power Plant (VPP) Real-Time Integration and Control via VPP: The project’s VPP model enables real-time control of distributed energy resources (DERs), transforming them into a coordinated power source that can respond to grid signals instantly. By acting as a single entity, this VPP enhances grid stability, even in fluctuating conditions.
Advanced Data Analytics and AI-Driven Operations: VPP technology leverages AI and machine learning to predict and balance loads efficiently. This data-driven approach enables the VPP to make proactive adjustments to manage supply-demand fluctuations, supporting real-time stability within the distribution network.
Benefits to DSOs and TSOs in System Coordination: For DSOs and TSOs, the VPP provides a platform to interact seamlessly with renewable power plants, turning them into flexible assets that can provide ancillary services like frequency response, peak shaving, and voltage control on demand.
Mitigating Grid Congestion in High Renewable Penetration Areas: Controlling pools of renewable plants to alleviate congestion in areas where renewable energy installations are most concentrated. With flexible dispatch from the VPP, pressure on overloaded distribution lines can be resolved, allowing DSOs to operate grids more effectively.
Voltage Regulation and Reactive Power Support: How Ancillary services provided by VPP-connected plants can help stabilize voltage levels across the distribution grid, maintaining power quality even when renewable energy output fluctuates. For instance, by adjusting reactive power contributions, these plants can maintain voltage stability without requiring additional grid infrastructure investments.
Reducing Dependence on Centralized Fossil-Based Support: Harnessing local renewable resources for grid stability, so that DSOs and TSOs can reduce reliance on traditional, centralized sources for ancillary services, supporting decarbonization goals while sustainably meeting grid demands.
