Microsoft PowerPoint – ENGM031_L2_Introduction to Smart Distribution Networks
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Prof Peter Crossley
L2: Smart Grids &
Sustainable Energy Systems
Impact of Low Carbon
Technologies on Distribution
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If this is a “typical” regional 24 hour working-day load profile.
How can we use renewables in the future?
Is this the shape of a our future energy demand and if yes how do we ensure
renewables, clean coal and nuclear deliver the energy when we require it
Renewables
Capacity Limit
Methane & CCS
Or Hydrogen
Time of Day – 24hr cycle
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What if renewables generate at wrong times?
Can renewables generate overnight and store the energy?
Can storage then deliver the energy at peak times?
Is this economically viable?
Capacity Limit
Methane + CCS
& Hydrogen
Time of Day – 24hr cycle
Demand Requirements
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Can renewables, coal and gas with carbon capture & storage, nuclear, green hydrogen, storage &
dispersed “clean” generation deliver the energy when we require it at a cost we can afford ?
How do we ensure the lights stay on in 2030 or 2040?
Capacity Limit
Time of Day – 24hr cycle
Dispersed Generation (mainly PV)
Methane & CCS
Demand Profile
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UK Electricity Market Structure
Traditional Power System
Typically 25kV
UK = 400kV or 275kV
UK = 132kV and/or 33kV
UK = called HV by DNO’s and normally 11kV
UK = 400V if 3-phase
or 230V if 1-phase
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What if demand increases above local network capacity?
Does local refer to a region, city, town or the supply to your house?
UK:- expect significant demand growth due to EVs (depends on gasoline prices & CO2
legislation) & domestic electric heating (depends on natural gas prices and government policies)
Capacity Limit
Current Demand
Future Additional
Time of Day – 24hr cycle
How can your local network cope ?
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Dynamic Demand, Storage & DG lowers demand
below feeder/network capacity limit.
Can we shift demand from peaks to troughs?
or can we match demand to availability of low cost, low carbon
energy & capacity of network
Capacity Limit
Time of Day – 24hr cycleD
Future Demand without load shifting
Future Demand with load shifting (demand response)
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Typical UK urban distribution network
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Distribution Network Configurations
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Distribution Network Configurations
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Distribution Network Configurations
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Distribution Network Configurations
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Topology of Urban LV Networks
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Evolution to future
distribution grid
UK transports electricity along 835,740 km of
lines and cable. Cost of replacing UK’s
distribution network is £95.6 billion
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WPD Evolution to future distribution grid
Ofgem encouraged DNOs to innovate by investing in trials; costs are recovered via network price controls.
How do DNOs cope with dispersed
generation, storage, > demand, EVs ?
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Electricity Network Innovation in UK
29 million electricity customers
UK electricity networks (DNO’s) are adapting to challenges of
decarbonisation
concern is speed of change
Expect to deliver energy security and affordability in a low
carbon economy
concern, kWh carbon intensity in 2030 or 2040?
Government states this needs to be <70gCO2/kWh by 2030,
but Committee for Climate Change wants 50gCO2/kWh
What will the UK achieve?
Since DNO’s and the TSO are natural monopolies, Government
and Ofgem’s framework for regulating the DNO’s is critical in
ensuring Net-Zero is achieved
concern, will Government and Ofgem stick to its timetable
for Net-Zero.
National Grid
Distribution
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Ofgem LCNF Tier-1 smart-grid projects (operated 2010 – 2015)
Tier-1 projects allowed DNOs to recover proportion of expenditure incurred on small projects.
Tier-1 projects had to trial a:
• specific piece of new (unproven in Britain) equipment with direct impact on Distribution System
• novel application of existing Distribution System equipment
• new operational practice for Distribution System
• novel commercial arrangement with a Distribution System User
Tier-1 projects had to demonstrate they:
• accelerate development of low carbon energy sector and provide net financial benefit to customers
• have direct impact on DNO’s Distribution System
• generate new knowledge that can be shared amongst all DNOs
• focus on network methods that are at the trial stage
• do not lead to unnecessary duplication with other projects
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Electricity North West Tier-1 Projects:
• 'Bidoyng' Smart Fuse:
• install “Smart Fuses” on the Low Voltage (LV) network and determine if they are able to reduce the
impact of transient faults.
• Voltage Management on Low Voltage Busbars:
• deploy and assess range of voltage management technologies and techniques across 15 distribution
substations.
• Low Voltage Network Solutions:
• deploy monitoring equipment to provide greater understanding of the operating characteristics and
demands of LV networks.
• Low Voltage Integrated Automation:
• new integrated solution for voltage control of LV networks.
• Low Voltage Protection And Communications:
• develop & implement advanced protection & communications to meet the requirements of future LV
• Fault Current Active Management:
• methods other than network reinforcement to reduce fault levels.
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ENW Tier-1: Low Voltage Network Solutions:
• Project will deploy measurement, sensing and recording equipment to help ENW understand operating and
demand characteristics of LV networks.
• University of Manchester helped ENW identify meaningful sample of representative LV network feeders.
• Activities:
• measurement and data collection
• network modelling
• developing appropriate LV network solutions
• validating conclusions of other LCNF LV trials on ENW network
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'Bidoyng' Smart Fuses
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Wide Area Data Monitoring
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ENW Capacity to Customers (C2C) Demo Project: 2012 - 2015
• Electricity North West awarded £10M to develop C2C, aims to:
• release untapped emergency network capacity
• customers savings, by changing how electricity is used
• prevents infrastructure improvement costs being passed to customers
• How ENW will increase capacity:
• network operator must plan for the future and invest customers
money into the region’s electricity network.
• trial smart-grid technology to reduce need for investment
• C2C provides more power using existing assets. It could deliver the
extra capacity without expanding the network.
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ENW Capacity to Customers (C2C)
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C2C = Reconfiguring the network
Main findings are:
C2C releases extra capacity and delivers economic and carbon
Project demonstrated C2C can unlock real benefits for customers such as quicker
new network connections at lower cost and cheaper distribution use of system costs.
Our industrial and commercial customers are willing to sign up to
C2C contracts
Customers offered a monthly payment or a reduced new connection charge in
exchange for allowing us to manage their connection in the event of a fault. During
the project we signed up ten existing customers and ten new connection agreements.
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UK Government “smart-grid” policies
• UK Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is developing the strategic, regulatory and policy
frameworks to ensure “UK’s electricity networks efficiently deliver secure & clean energy that meets UK’s energy
security and climate goals”
• In recognition of this, Ofgem introduced a new innovation funding streams, beginning with the Low
Carbon Network Fund (LCNF) for electricity distribution projects in 2010.
• In 2015, this was replaced by Network Innovation Competition (NIC) and Network Innovation
Allowances (NIA) under the RIIO-ED1 price control (Revenue = Incentives + Innovation + Outcomes)
• RIIO-ED1 will end in 2023, and will be replaced with RIIO-ED2.
• RIIO-ED2 price control sets the outputs the 14 electricity Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) need to
deliver for their consumers and the revenues they are allowed to collect from 1 April 2023 to 31 March
• Success of LCNF and RIIO-ED1 enabled DNO’s to create projects, demonstrating new technologies
and working practices that are now being adopted as business-as-usual by companies to deliver
savings for customers.
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FlexDGrid: Advanced Fault Level Management
• Western Power Distribution (WPD) received £13.5M from UK energy regulator to revolutionise
the power network in Birmingham.
• WPD will use new solutions to accommodate more local generation.
• connection of generation to urban networks increases fault level
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FlexDGrid: Advanced Fault Level Management
Connection of generation directly to urban electricity networks can increase the fault level.
FlexDGrid will investigate:
• Enhancing simulation processes to calculate and predict short-circuit currents.
• Monitoring the network in a greater level of detail.
• Installing new technologies that can limit the flow of short-circuit currents when faults occur in the electricity network.
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FlexDGrid offered improved solution to the problem of cost-
effective integration of customers' generation and demand within urban
High Voltage (HV) electricity networks.
Project sought to explore benefits arising from trials of
three complimentary Methods:
(Alpha) Enhanced Fault Level Assessment; (Beta) Real-time Management
of Fault Level; & (Gamma) Fault Level Mitigation Technologies.
Outcomes for Method Alpha were:
- detailed 11kV network models of 15 primary substations and an automated procedure for updating or developing further
network models for Fault Level assessments.
- user-friendly Excel-based tool for use in primary system design for Fault Level assessments of HV networks of
primary substations where FCLs have been installed.
Outcomes for Method Beta were:
- FLMs allowed Make & Break Fault Level values to be assessed, enabling networks to operate based on these values,
increasing network security & facilitating new customer connections.
- Fault Level data was fed back into models, allowing updates to planning Fault Levels.
- policy documents were developed to assist with connection & operation of FLMs.
Outcomes for Method Gamma :
- PSCFCL (Pre-Saturated Core Fault Current Limiter) installed at Castle Bromwich 132/11kV Substation
- RSFCL (Resistive Superconducting Fault Current Limiter) installed at Chester Street 132/11kV Substation
- RSFCL at Bournville 132/11kV Primary Substation
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The following work was carried out:
A sample PSS/E model of a network, representing part of
Birmingham’s 11kV network, was considered;
The parameters of the sample model were varied within the
range given in Table 6-3 within an assumed time to create
different operation condition scenarios; and
The corresponding Fault Levels of each scenario were
calculated. The results were then compared with calculated
Fault Levels from the original model to understand the impact
of the each network parameter on the network Fault Level.
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Single line diagram of connection at Elmdon:
• 11kV network in Birmingham is supplied from number of 132/11kV substations at strategic locations in and around the city.
• Direct transformation from 132kV to 11kV results in lower network impedances due to absence of an intermediate voltage
supply level (such as 33kV).
• Lower network impedance resulted in very high Fault Levels on the 11kV network.
• Operation of the network with Fault Levels exceeding equipment ratings cannot be permitted as the equipment may not be
able to sustain / interrupt the resultant current.
• Hence, most 11kV busbars at primary substations have to be run in split configuration.
• Operating the network in split configuration requires manual or automated sequence switching to quickly restore customers
in the event of an upstream fault.
Why not build primary substations using 132/11kV transformers with higher leakage reactance?
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Single line diagram of connection at Elmdon:
• Implementation of Method Gamma allowed the 11kV busbars at a primary substation to be connected in parallel by
reducing the prospective fault infeed by connecting an FCL across the bus-section or in series with the incoming feeder.
• Objective for Method Gamma was that the chosen primary substation shall be able to accommodate additional generation,
up to 10% of the firm capacity of that primary substation, without exceeding the equipment ratings following installation of
• Method Gamma aimed to reduce network Fault Levels through the installation of Fault Level Mitigation Technologies
(FLMTs), otherwise known as Fault Current Limiters (FCLs).
• Design and installation of FCLs builds on learning and technologies developed from earlier Innovation Funding Incentive
(IFI), Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) and Low Carbon Networks Fund (LCNF) projects to create a system-level approach.
• Method involved installing FCLs at five 132/11kV substations in and around the centre of Birmingham to reduce the Fault
Level of the surrounding 11kV networks.
• Three different FCL technologies were chosen to be developed however; this was reduced to two following issues with the
GE Power Electronic technology.
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FlexDGrid: Advanced
Fault Level Management
Castle Bromwich Fault Current Limiter,
during installation
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Synchronous generators deliver an AC
component of fault current that reduces from a
very-high “sub-transient” value to a high
“transient” value to a lower “steady state”
value, as shown:
What happens when a short-circuit fault occurs on the 11kV busbar?
If you add the AC & DC components together,
you have an offset fault current with a “peak-
make” value that is 2 – 3x the “peak-break” value
It also delivers a DC component, which is actually
an exponential defined by X/R, it can start with a
magnitude equal to the peak value of the AC
sub-transient current, as shown:
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Heat maps demonstrate effect of FCLs on Fault Levels at/near Castle Bromwich, Chester Street & Bournville Primary Substations
Three network arrangements
are considered:
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• Fault Current Limiters (FCL) allow the 11kV network to operate in parallel (i.e. multiple 132/11kV transformers) and
distributed generators supply each 11kV busbar.
• Improves reliability & reduces customer minutes lost, i.e. single 132/11kV transformer can trip, without disconnecting load.
• However, Fault Current limiters are large and expensive, and simpler solutions are possible.
• Probably explains why Fault Current Limiters are not “business as usual” on DNO networks.
• I believe fault current monitoring is needed in areas that include synchronous Distributed Generators or where the fault
level is close to the breaker “making or breaking” capacity.
• Information from fault current monitor could be used to control how a fault is cleared.
• If the 3-phase fault current is above breaker capacity, perhaps the busbar could be split, or the DG disconnected, prior
to tripping the main breaker. Bournville Resistive Superconducting Fault Current Limiter (Nexan)
FlexDGrid: Fault Level Management using Fault Current Limiters
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Network Innovation Allowance & Competition
• Sharing knowledge from innovation projects ensures UK customers benefit from the money
invested by network companies.
• Electricity Network Association facilitates shared learning through the online Smarter
Networks Portal, which is a repository from the findings from LCNF, NIA and NIC projects.
• Wealth of information is provided across key themes in transmission and distribution of gas
and electricity.
• Portal illustrates how different network innovations will contribute to the UK energy future
and helps all appreciate why networks are the most dynamic and exciting aspect of our
energy industry.
• As UK moves forward, continued innovation via the regulatory framework will be crucial if
the UK is to build on the strong start that it has made in the development of future
• Much has been achieved, but there is still a great deal of opportunity to deliver value and
savings to customers as new challenges for network companies evolve in the coming years.
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Energy Networks Association’s (ENA) Smarter Networks Portal is a central repository for regulation-funded
innovation projects and associated outputs, data, knowledge, news and dissemination events.
ENA Innovation Portal (energynetworks.org)
Smarter Networks Portal:
• Provides single location for all Ofgem funded Gas &
Electricity Innovation Projects
• Provides overview of projects, including scope, location,
costs, partners and more
• Allows anyone to follow progress and explore outputs
• Promotes communication between Networks and
Innovators
• Facilitates innovators to receive calls for ideas and
specific requests from Networks
• Provides the opportunity to pitch your innovation ideas
directly to ENA and the Network Innovation Managers at
• Promotes sharing of information, including datasets from
the output of projects
• Provides weekly email updates on projects, refined by
individuals chosen interest areas
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2015 - 2020, Celsius Project (Electricity North West) = £5.5M
Celsius is an innovative, cost-effective approach to managing potentially excessive temperatures at distribution
substations, which may constrain the connection of low carbon technologies.
By delivering new solutions to manage these ‘thermal pinch points’, Celsius releases additional capacity from
existing assets, reduces long-term costs for customers and avoids early asset replacement.
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https://smarter.energynetworks.org/
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This project looked to explore the public perception of consultations for large infrastructure
projects and address the research problem of underlying public disengagement with this
process. The research carried out in this project contributes conceptually, methodologically
and empirically to addressing the research problem through a high voltage overhead
powerline case study research design in Cumbria. The outcomes from this research are
both theoretical and empirical. The conceptual framework and research methods
(theoretical) have contributed to a novel academic approach to investigating public
engagement with the energy industry and the empirical output will help to inform the
development of public engagement strategies in practice.
https://smarter.energynetworks.org/
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Net-Zero Energy needs secure measurements, control & communications
Any Questions?