23rd International Conference on Electricity Distribution Lyon, 15-18 June 2015

Paper 1550

Annelie JENAKER Rui SILVA Peter SIGENSTAM

ABB Sweden ABB Portugal E.ON Sweden
VP, Head of E.ON Innovation Centre Distribution
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

CONTROL CENTER Modern electricity transmission and distribution networks

TRANSFORMATION TO ENABLE are undergoing dramatic changes. They have to cope with
more distributed and renewable energy resources, more
VIRTUAL POWER PLANT IN SWEDEN data from smart power equipment and meters, and more
regulatory pressure to run efficiently. This all results in
Almost all leading global utilities have embraced various more work and stress for network operators. Help is at
aspects of Smart Grid technology in discrete areas such as hand in the form of SCADA energy management systems,
metering, distribution automation and demand response. advanced distribution management systems, demand-
Leading Swedish utility E.ON is not an exception. response management systems and advanced business
However, E.ON went beyond deploying the discrete Smart analytics. These systems, when integrated and operated in
Grid technology and implemented a Smart Grid Control conjunction, enable utilities to move from reactive to
Center (SGCC) program to modernize traditional control proactive system operations, enabling it to operate closer
center operations to take advantage of the convergence of to its physical limits. The high-speed communication and
smart grid enabled metering, feeder automation, Demand convergence of IT and OT generates big volumes of data
Response Management System (DRMS), Distributed which SGCC needs to utilize effectively to improve
Energy Resources (DER), and Volt-VAR Optimization decision making to dispatch the load.
(VVO) technology.
Societys quest for sustainable energy is driving a redesign
E.ON Elnat is a distribution company serving more than a of transmission and distribution networks, from both
million customers in Sweden. This presentation describes operational and asset performance perspectives, so that
E.ONs Smart Grid Control Center vision, deployment clean, renewable energy resources can be accommodated.
experience and discusses the integration of DRMS, DER Many of these resources are distributed, e.g., rooftop-
management and VVO for the deployment of a Virtual mounted solar panels or onshore wind generators. Battery
Power Plant. storage banks, large and small, also play a role.The new
power landscape is a mix of grid-scale and distributed
The convergences of various Smart Grid technologies and power resources, with an increasing share of small,
applications have created unparalleled momentum to distributed units a constellation for which distribution
improve customer service, energy efficiency, power networks were never designed.
quality, and reliability. But, power systems have become
more complex with increasing generation and The typical distribution network is changing from one that
consumption variations, automation and control. The role connects producers and consumers in a one-way power
of control center operators has been significantly expanded flow, to one that carries flow in both directions in a
to more than just ensuring reliability by monitoring and complex, dynamic way.
controlling the grid. The modern Smart Grid Control
Center operators also need to focus on near real-time T&D Traditionally, the operational mode in the control room
system planning, forecasting, estimation, risk analysis. can be said to be in one of two states: normal or abnormal
running conditions. Now there is a third mode,
What is seen in Europe as well as in some other parts of suboptimal, in which the network is not suffering from
the world is a large take-up of renewable energy major disturbances but some power equipment could be
connecting to both the transmission as well as distribution run more efficiently and a number of alarms and warnings
networks - this is really one of the biggest challenge for the are present. The alarms keep the operators busy, leaving
energy industry in Europe. 10 years back there was for less time for switching the network into a more optimized
example only a summer situation and a winter situation in and efficient mode or performing planned maintenance
Sweden, and it was adjusted for twice a year. Nowadays, activities. In some control rooms, operators are stressed
this summer and winter situation happens over the course beyond acceptable levels, increasing the likelihood of
of a day, and it shifts very quickly, and therefore it all mistakes. The utilities must, therefore, seek better support
becomes more complex. when implementing new SCADA EMS and DMS
solutions.

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 23rd International Conference on Electricity Distribution Lyon, 15-18 June 2015

Paper 1550

Typically, signals are sent from a central system to

Constantly reconfiguring the network by switching selected program participants, who are able to set up
capacitor and reactor banks on and off is one example of response profiles that, upon receipt of the signal,
how voltage levels can be controlled and kept within the automatically execute the selected program curtailment
limits set out by the regulator. This is referred to as Volt- option. Suitable loads to control include electric water
VAR Optimization (VVO) in transmission networks. heaters and temperature-controlling devices such as heat
Symmetrical loading of transformers, temporarily pumps and air conditioners a small change in room
overloading lines and dynamic line rating (DLR), are other temperature is hardly noticeable to consumers. Less
examples of grid optimization techniques that lead to suitable loads include lamps, electric stoves, televisions
better use of network assets. But how can operators and computers for obvious reasons. In return for their
identify the best time to reconfigure? flexibility, customers are often rewarded in some way,
which varies by utility. Such incentives are seen as a way
Calculating the optimal state of the network fast enough to to change consumption habits in the long term, which is
allow preventive switching has always been difficult. The considered by many experts to be the most important
ideal situation would be to foresee and forestall events that behavioral change of all.
lead to alarm conditions. If a network can adapt faster to
changing conditions caused by power flux, it can also be An aggregation of distributed generation resources
operated in a more efficient way resulting in better managed in a way similar to demand-response loads is
utilization and reduced losses. called a virtual power plant (VPP). The capability of a VPP
would, typically, be comparable to that of a grid-scale
By effectively combining readily available forecast data, renewable power plant. Studies are currently being
such as load and weather data, for input into a software conducted by research institutes in countries with plentiful
tool that calculates and builds production and load profiles wind and solar resources to find economical and technical
for the near future. Adding this information to the network methods for using VPP units as spinning reserves. Large-
software function that mimics the network, often in an scale battery storage, with its ability to smooth power
EMS referred to as the state estimator (SE), results in a peaks and troughs, is one leading candidate here. The
simulated network. The network switching states are control room engineer needs to take these changes into
copied from the real-time SCADA system. The output of account when planning network operations.
these calculations is a simulated network that mimics the
real network, but with electrical values estimated a number Business analytics solutions have been used for some time
of hours into the future the same timeframe as in the to support decision making, primarily in financial matters,
forecasts. but are now finding their way into control rooms to aid
technical decision making. An important function of the
Typically, this timeframe is six to 12 hours ahead of the business analytics solution is to verify that incoming data
current time, which is a good balance between acceptable is both correct and complete. It can then turn a massive
accuracy and the time needed to reconfigure the network. amount of data into actionable information.
It also allows time for a signal to be sent to participating
units in a customer demand-response program. For the first A new generation of system support is being designed to
time ever, the network operator is able to foresee alarms help utilities manage their increasingly larger and more
and warnings expected in the near future and make complex networks, which makes it easier for the operators
informed, proactive decisions. The result is improved to follow and foresee changing network conditions. It
network efficiency, more stable operation and fewer allows the operators to better manage the increasing
outages. quantity of data being made available to them.

A demand-response management system (DRMS) is a From a utility perspective there is already a lot of data
relatively new tool used by utilities to control the balance available, but it sits in different data silos, and what big
between the power available and the power needed. The data really is providing is that it is now possible to
basic idea is to model and aggregate controllable loads into connect the data from the different silos and it then
a virtual load that has a lower peak curve. By signalling becomes possible to optimize and use the data in another
this load, the utility can control the load profile and better way. Also, with the new technologies that is put in place
match production at any given hour. It is important to note there is velocity as well. It is now possible to do things in
that, for domestic loads, this solution differs from the older real-time with the in-memory technologies, which is
load management systems (LMSs), which controlled loads opening up a new world as you can become pro-active in
without the participation or consent of the end users for operations as well. When the data from the different silos
every switching command that was sent out. The DRMS is combined, that is where it is really possible to increase
tool often requires customers to actively sign up to the the value of what is already available in the different silos.
demand response (DR) program.
More and more utilities are also looking into how you

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Paper 1550

optimize your assets and investments and where to invest

based on more fact-based decision rather than what it has
been in the past decisions based more on a gut-feeling
and also input from experienced individuals. This is
something that is needed in the future as well, but utilities
today also want to add-in a lot more fact-based information
e.g. maybe sensors in the field and information from
maintenance reports.

The SGCC project is really about making power system

operations more pro-active and able to look into the future
the next hour the next 24 hours in order to understand
where constraints in the network will happen and how
these can be mitigated. Therefore, engaging with
customers and getting a better understanding of their Figure 1: The Smart Grid Control Center
demand flexibility and also gaining a better understanding
of the generation flexibility in the network is of key The Smart Grid Control Center with VPP enabled E.ON to
importance. Of course, this requires a lot of data coming in aggregate DER along with VVO enabled savings to
as you need to be able to forecast, and this makes it all very dispatch the load in an optimized way and reduce
interesting. dependency on Demand Response programs. The VPP
provided a much tighter link between what is happening in
This SGCC project has now been running for a couple of the wholesale market, what is happening on the retail side
years and E.ON are very happy with the results. In terms with management of the transmission system and the
of quantifiable results, it conclusively demonstrates grid distribution systems. It also enabled E.ON to utilize VPP
optimization and reduced grid losses. It is possible to provided found capacity to bid in open market.
adjust the network in such a way that you can optimize
power flows. What is possible to see is that the distribution
business is becoming more financially driven from these
kind of operational perspectives as well, and therefore
forecasting becomes important not only from the grid
bottle neck perspective.

The SGCC needs to have tools necessary to provide real-

time performance monitoring, predictive assessment, and
proactive course correction of the operating state. The
functionality of these tools include: robust, real-time
simulation of very large and complex delivery systems
accurately estimating critical parameters such as voltage,
current, circuit loadings, losses, etc.;

Integrated DRMS, DMS, and DER management can

support the capability to model the energy delivery system
and its distributed elements, integrate and apply all
necessary real-time operations information, dynamically
manage connectivity and supporting resources, monitor
performance and deliver security, alarm low reliability
situations, and proactively recommend operational
changes to achieve contract commitments, reliability
objectives and improved economy.

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