Part II -Operating renewable rich grids, DSO's may even get into a peculiar problem of oversupply!! solution is again policy, regulations, technology

While earlier article was primarily about utility scale assets connected to transmission networks and challenges primarily related to modelling of inverter based resources (IBR's), response of these to grid disturbance, non-availability of complete modelling information, controller settings for LOM protection and active and reactive power performance during grid disturbances, voltage control and so on but another interesting problem (or say problem in disguise) is being created by solar roof tops in grids where adaption is such high that under most favorable conditions it may lead to very small operational demand on the grid, a situation where solar roof top generates almost all the demand in distribution grid and net demand on the grid goes very small!!

While we will tend to feel great about it but there is a flip side to it.

When solar roof top reduces net demand on the grid below a minimum level, this leads to operational problems and reliability risks firstly due to inherent risk of chance of such assets getting disconnected in response to any voltage disturbance and secondly it reduces quantum of assets that are available to grid operator to orchestrate!!

It gets even more troublesome if interconnectors that such grids are having to neighboring control areas get disrupted and grid is expected to work in islanded condition, it becomes almost impossible to maintain the frequency in case there is any fault within the islanded network.

Solution!! grid operators are seeking regulatory and operational guidelines about these smaller assets and CER's as these consumer assets are called, how these can be leveraged (orchestrated, curtailed) and what could be minimum operational demand that grid has to put on network.

But again, the problem becomes something of operability, how do you expect system operator to orchestrate huge nos. of such smaller assets??

There seem to be market solutions to these, business models being run by new electricity market participants with the help of technology companies, system integrators and software developers, solutions orchestrating electrical networks and leveraging flexibility!! Many and different types of these are being deployed and piloted in many developed electricity markets. These will also guide way forward for electricity markets which are still in comparatively earlier stages of evolution and get into the similar problems!!

This is just one problem and one aspect of solution but indeed, new generation mix and their operational characteristics are challenging the old operational paradigm of grids and more importantly how market participants used to sell and buy electricity but solution lies in innovative business models enabled by policy and regulations and definitely technology involving hardware, software, communication, data interface between multiple systems, analytics, maybe be AI down the line, but all this will be at the best as good as the core electrical knowhow of networks guiding these systems and programming and analytics running, "brain of it"!!.

While they are operating and learning in many markets but for markets like India, Dawn of DSO's!!

Exciting times ahead!!

#solarrooftop #distributionnetwork #gridreliability #electricitymarkets #gridoperations #renewableenergy #gridofthefuture

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