Rethinking Distribution Network Operational Planning with Flexibility Resources

Abstract

The transition to active distribution grids necessitates reevaluating planning and operation processes, where they are no longer considered independent. So, operational planning emerges as the crucial link to navigate the demanding new conditions in active distribution grids assisted by emerging technologies. Distribution grid operational planning can ensure proactive management of grid problems, faster adaptability, providing detailed information to the control centers, as system conditions change, and integrating this information into slower processes like long-term grid planning. Typically, operational planning is conducted for day-ahead, weekahead, and seasonal time horizons. Detailed or near-real-time operational planning, on the other hand, is uncommon in today’s distribution grid. Current operational planning is characterised by manual and often paper-based approaches that are translated into only offline grid reconfigurations or personnel dispatch. With the availability of measurements and sensors, distribution grids are becoming more monitored, allowing the determination of the full state of the system, i.e., all important variables such as current, voltages and powers. Also, with the wide integration of intermittent forms of energy resources and as the activation of flexibility resources becomes routine operational measures, planning the active distribution grid operation close to real-time will play a fundamental role. As the preconditions to implement a systematic and analytic operational planning process for DSOs are being established, this study drafts a process flow chart for DSO operational planning from the week-ahead to near-real-time time horizon suited for future distribution systems.

Rethinking Distribution Network Operational Planning with Flexibility Resources