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Ukjent-Ukjent

Distribution network planning and operation with flexibility resources

Awarded: NOK 0.86 mill.

Project Number:

322574

Project Period:

2021 - 2023

Funding received from:

Subject Fields:

Flexibility resources are considered to be an important part of power system planning and operation. To take full advantage of energy storage systems and other flexibility resources in transmission and distribution grid planning, advanced methodologies and tools are needed. In addition, there is planning coordination needs between transmission and distribution system operators as flexibility resources play increased role. The EU H2020 FlexPlan project aims at creating a new tool for optimizing transmission and distribution grid planning, considering the placement of flexibility elements as an alternative to traditional grid planning. The supplementary project DiPOFlex (Distribution network Planning and Operation with flexibility resources), funded by the Research Council of Norway has organized two physical workshops with the Norwegian Stakeholders to discuss and disseminate methods developed and implemented in the EU H2020 FlexPlan project. Energi Norge and SINTEF Energi AS have been collaborating to organize the workshops. The first workshop was organized at Værnes, Trondheim on 25-26 November 2021 and the second workshop was organized at Gardermoen, Oslo on 03-04 November 2022. DSOs, the TSO, the regulatory body, technology developers and researchers have participated in the workshops. In the workshops, issues in relation to the use of Flexibility resources in long-term network planning have been discussed lively. The materials prepared for these workshops have been further compiled together with relevant results from FME CINELDI as a course content. A guest lecture with a selection of the prepared materials has been delivered to NTNU students on 17th November 2022 with the course TET4205 Power system analysis 2. The EU FlexPlan project has benefited from the workshop discussions in making the Nordic regional case analysis relevant to the actual challenges the DSOs and TSO have. In addition, important aspects have been identified and discussed among stakeholders in Norway. To mention some of them: how to prepare data and model for flexibility resources, how to prepare long term forecasts for flexibility, what competencies are needed in the DSOs, how should flexibility be incentivized, and regulations on data exchange.

The two workshops organized in this supplementary project were not only informative to the audience, but it has also availed the platform to discuss network planning with flexibility resources among the stakeholders in Norway. The course material preparation and presentation has received also positive feedback. Now, there is an ongoing discussion with NTNU to have the content as a module of an existing course in continuous manner. The supplementary project DiPOFlex has also facilitated the discussion which might be realized as national projects with the Statnett and the DSOs in Norway.

The main purpose of this call is to increase the impact of Norway's participation in EU's H2020 projects. Directly fitting to this objective, the following activities are envisioned in this FlexPlan supplementary project. These activities include the early involvement of relevant stakeholders in Norway in the development and dissemination of the regional case analysis for the Nordic region. SINTEF is responsible for this analysis and will put special emphasis on accurately representing the Norwegian power system in the analysis. However, SINTEF is the only Norwegian partner in the project. In other words, none of the key stakeholders for the case analysis are involved, such as Norwegian DSOs, the Norwegian TSO (Statnett), the Norwegian energy regulator (NVE), Norwegian power industry organizations (e.g. Energi Norge), or Norwegian universities (e.g. NTNU – Norwegian University of Science and Technology). The absence of these stakeholders in the FlexPlan project activities could limit both the relevance of case that is developed and the uptake of the findings and experiences from the case analysis. The activities of this supplementary project will allow stakeholders to contribute to shaping the Norway-specific scenario development as well as to introduce to the stakeholders new methods developed in the FlexPlan project. Moreover, activities are envisioned to facilitate speedy adoption of network planning tools developed in FlexPlan project. Two workshops with Norwegian stakeholders are planned within this supplementary project, and in the end, the materials prepared for these workshops will be further compiled to be a course content for future incorporation into existing or new courses delivered from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). In general, the activities planned in this supplementary project aim to increase competences of experts at DSOs in the area of active distribution network operation and planning with flexibility resources.

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Funding scheme:

Ukjent-Ukjent