Skip to main content

Network Integration

Projects supervised by: Professor Mohamed Pourkashanian, Dr Lin Ma, Professor Derek Ingham, Dr Timothy Foxon, Professor Peter Taylor and Professor Timothy Cockerill

Researchers: Lloyd Davies, Andrew Dixon, Ray Edmunds

Conventional centralised electricity networks across the world are outdated. They are inefficient and cannot offer an adequate response to today’s urgent global challenges. Smart grids are a necessary enabler for the transition to a low carbon economy. “A smart grid is an intelligent, digitalised network, delivering electricity in an optimum way from source to consumption, achieved by integrating information, telecommunication and power technologies with the existing system.”

Real-time pricing will reduce the demand peaks that occur in electricity networks daily. This serves as a major benefit to the electricity system by reducing the inefficient spinning reserve capacity that utilities are required to keep on standby. Integrating information, communications and real-time pricing allows a higher level of demand response than conventional systems, which allows for a higher level of low carbon generation without reducing system security.

The DTC and Network Integration

Using real weather data, the impacts and costs of integrating high levels of low carbon technologies (wind, wave and tidal) into electricity systems is being assessed. The intermittent and inflexible nature of the power that is supplied from these technologies will require new transmission methods to ensure it is delivered efficiently. Focusing specifically on high voltage direct current (HVDC), smart technology and interconnections, the transmission and distribution options are being considered.

Not only does high level integration of low carbon technologies effect the technical operation of the electricity network. The way in which electricity is bought and sold will also be affected. At present the market structure is optimised for thermal plants. Although market structures are relatively similar across European regions, the trading arrangements are very different. To give low carbon generators the best chance, it is vital that these arrangements are restructured and harmonized. Operating closer to real time will benefit low carbon generators (especially wind) as the forecast errors will be significantly reduced. Not only the technical barriers to integrating low carbon technologies are being considered, but also the economic, social and political barriers. This highlights the multi-disciplinary nature of the DTC.

Assessing contributions from a range of technologies along with potential market structures allows an understanding of the most efficient path to ensure a resilient, secure, low carbon and SMART electricity system.