This report presents the findings from the Intelligent Switchgear project and specifically discusses development of the switchgear, data analysis, system planning and real-time operation, grid hosting capacity, and event analysis.
Report extract
There is a global momentum to diversify electricity generation sources for economic, environmental, and security reasons. “Distributed Generation” (DG) enables more companies to enter the electricity market stimulating competition, encouraging development of Renewable Energy (RE). However, conventional electricity distribution networks are poorly matched to the needs of DG because they were designed to meet the demands of a large generating capacity sited close to the centres of population. This project addresses the issues introduced by smart grids to enable electricity utilities to move away from centralised generation to an expanding DG model. On the other hand, high integration of renewable energy into the distribution system has caused challenges such as over-voltage, reverse power flow, protection coordination, short-circuit level, power quality, and risk of islanding. This project aims to utilize synchrophasor data to assist with these challenges and to ensure stability and reliability of the electricity grid.