Benefits of active management of distribution network in the UK

The UK Government is working towards ambitious targets on renewable generation and CHP. Depending on the load factor assumed, this will require the installation of significant generation capacity, in the order of 10 GW by 2010. Significant proportion of this generation is expected to be connected to distribution networks (i.e. at voltages of 132 kV and below). However, under the present conditions the owners and operators of the distribution networks, the Distribution System Operators (DSOs) anticipate that they can integrate only a much more limited capacity of distributed generation (DG) without a major reinforcement. Recently, significant amount of work was carried out to analyse and demonstrate the benefits that can be derived from changing the operation philosophy of distribution networks from passive to active. The emphasis was on the design of control strategies of active distribution systems that would enhance the ability of the existing networks to accommodate additional distributed generation, and reduce the demand for reinforcements. Hence there is a need to understand the impact of various active management control strategies on the overall operation and investment performance of the entire distribution network. This kind of analysis will be essential for DSOs in order to take the most cost effective strategic decisions to optimally integrate DG in their networks. This paper presents a methodology for quantifying the value of various active distribution network management for various DG development scenarios, in the context of the UK distribution system. First the main network issues related to the connection of DG are discussed, and how they could be resolved by using active management. Indicative results quantifying the benefits of active management in the entire UK distribution network are then presented.