There are many reasons that have led to the penetration of renewables sources based (RES-based) Dispersed Generation (DG) and of Electrical Vehicles (EVs) charging stations in the power systems, i.e. the sensitivity to environmental issues, the presence of massive economic incentives and the development of technology. This, with the evolution of electricity markets, introduced new problems in the operation of the transmission and distribution grids. In particular, coordination actions between the Transmission System Operator (TSO) and the Distribution System Operators (DSO) became mandatory for guaranteeing a good operation of the whole power system. A more direct involvement of DSO in ancillary services market is to be hypnotized under different schemes of coordination with the TSO. The project deals with new management schemes and simulation models of distribution grids in presence of RES-based DG, prosumers, including EVs charging systems, and Energy Storage Systems (ESSs). The presence of these actors in a distribution grid makes it active and flexible. It means that the distribution grid can potentially guarantee the optimization of the use of the electrical power production from distributed generators, the power delivery service at the passive customers, and at the same time to solve technical problems in respect of the transmission grid, providing ancillary services, also as a result of participation to the markets. Object of the present research project is to analyse the potential resources that a DSO can have in its own power systems for giving a contribution in more general grid services, even respecting internal operation constraints. It could be by models of operation that have to be developed and testes.
In respect to the potential to achieve an advancement of knowledge in relation to stat of art, the innovativeness of the research is linked to the proposal of operation models for distribution grids (in presence of RES-based Dispersed Generation, EVs charging stations, large and small flexible prosumers and Energy Storage Systems ), linked to the new management scheme, that will be selected in function of possible scenarios of evolution of actual standards and regulation policies (just under review at National and European level).
So the research results will allow:
- to have a complete critical analysis of the actual architectures and schemes of active distribution grids, also in terms of control technique for the operation in normal and emergency conditions;
- to have a tool for the analysis of distribution grids (in presence of RES-based Dispersed Generation, EVs charging stations, large and small flexible prosumers and Energy Storage Systems ), linked to the new operation and management models.
- to have some preliminary results for checking the applicability of the proposed models to real systems.