Project description

The steady increase in distributed generation and the introduction of new device technologies (e.g. electric vehicles) are leading to a profound change in power grids. In contrast to the classical power supply, future grids are characterized by a significant increase in modern power electronic devices, but also by lower and more volatile short-circuit power. It is expected that in future grids, power and voltage quality will have a significantly greater impact on efficient and stable operation than has been the case in the past. However, many studies and field trials are limited to efficiency and stability at grid frequency and do not consider the influence of system perturbation, or consider it inadequately. The future operation of microgrids or grid islands, which are fed by virtually 100% renewable energy, also contribute significantly to this change.

Almost all customer installations for the generation, consumption or storage of electrical energy cause grid perturbation. Devices with power electronics, for example, lead to harmonics, and devices connected in one or two phases lead to unbalances. This leads to a deterioration in power and voltage quality and can have a lasting effect on the trouble-free and efficient operation of other devices and customer installations. Therefore, it is important to fairly and reliably quantify the grid compatibility of a customer installation to ensure reliable and efficient grid operation and to comply with electromagnetic compatibility requirements.

Nowadays, the perturbation effect of customer installations on the grid voltage is theoretically calculated based on empirical values and guidelines before they are connected to the grid. Metrological verification of compliance with specified limit values is either not performed at all or only by means of simple procedures based on a number of simplifying assumptions. This can lead, for example, to unexpected disturbances occurring during operation of a customer installation, which affect reliable grid operation. On the other hand, possibly expensive remedial measures (e.g. filters) are already demanded during the planning stage, which would ultimately not have been necessary during operation of the customer plant.

By applying new methods and indices, this project will determine a method for continuously monitoring the contribution of a single customer installation to voltage distortion or unbalance. Through comprehensive and systematic measurements in cooperation with several Swiss grid operators, the different methods are evaluated and the optimal method is identified. This makes it possible to better determine existing interactions (e.g. compensation effects), to reliably identify customer installations with unacceptably high grid perturbations, or to avoid unnecessary investments in remedial measures that are not required. This will make a lasting contribution to significantly more efficient use of the grid infrastructure, more effective integration of new technologies and more reliable operation of future grids, thereby increasing security of supply. The results also make an important contribution to improving guidelines and standards.

Project partner

No mention [except Federal Office of Energy, Dresden University of Technology and Camille Bauer Metrawatt AG].

Projekt duration

01.04.2019 – 01.02.2022

Funding

Power Grid Research Program of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy SFOE and own expenses of all project partners

Further information

ARAMIS: iREF-Grid – Improvement of the Reliability and Efficiency of Grid operation through continuous monitoring of system perturbation caused by customer installations