22-05-2013, 11:41 AM
Benefits of Active Management of Distribution Systems
ABSTRACT
Distribution systems in which distributed generation is connected are often susceptible to
voltage rise. In order to minimise the overall effect of distributed generation, network
operators prefer to connect distributed generation to higher voltages where their impact
onto voltage profile is minimal. However, the commercial viability of distributed
generation projects is sensitive to connection costs. These costs increase considerably with
the voltage level at which the distributed generation is connected; generally the higher the
voltage or sparser the network, the higher the connection cost. The developers of distributed
generation therefore generally prefer to connect at lower voltages. The amount of
generation that can be connected is usually established through deterministic load flow
studies, usually with the critical case representing conditions of minimum/maximum load
and maximum distributed generation output. This operating policy limits considerably the
capacity of generation that can be connected to the existing distribution network.
In this context, the potential benefits of changing the operation philosophy of distribution
network and distributed generation from passive to active management will be assessed.
This chapter will deal with voltage control aspect of active management while issues
associated with fault levels are not considered.