SINERGIEN

 

A Co-Simulation Platform for the Assessment of Future Distribution Grid Layouts

Copyright: © ACS  

Germany’s distribution grids were originally intended only to deliver electricity from transmission level to households and smaller consumers. Now, the German “Energiewende” brings new challenges and opportunities for distribution grids, such as an increase of volatile feed-in by so called “Prosumers”. SINERGIEN will deliver a simulation platform for planning and operating future distribution grids taking into account technological, economical as well as communication issues.

The aim is to seamlessly incorporate planning and simulating these very different domains into one framework for distribution system operators. In SINERGIEN, a user friendly graphical editor will facilitate the composition of the model of a given distribution grid, not only with power components but also including overlying energy markets and underlying communication networks. Based on this information the SINERGIEN platform allows holistic co-simulations to be performed, including power system, communication network and market models. It will therefore be possible to posit and evaluate the outcomes of future concepts such as virtual power plants and virtual storage pools.

To prove functionality, a reference scenario is being defined. In this scenario the grid will be stressed by an increasing infeed from private photovoltaic systems. The variable to be optimized is the congestion level of the distribution lines. To enable smart decision making, the market will be provided with power measurements and battery charge levels from the power system simulation. The classical expensive option of reinforcing the grid to accommodate these PVs will be compared to the options of curtailment of individual PV plants and activation of private battery storage within the local grid. An economic model of incentives for the households that participate will be integrated. This compensation would come from a share of the savings on reinforcement investment in expensive infrastructure.