LV-grid automation system — A technology review

The ongoing shift towards more decentralized and renewable energy systems requires extensive modifications to existing grids and their operating principles - especially at the distribution level. Besides conventional grid enhancements, smart distribution systems are one way of handling these new supply scenarios and allow for maintaining voltage quality and capacity utilization constraints. The present paper describes an autonomously operating LV-grid automation system that is able to monitor the power flow situation within the LV-grid and to control the grid if necessary by using different actuators. It has been tested within several LV-grids in Germany. Both core modules of the system, the state identification module and the control module, are in the spotlight of this paper.