Increasing the hosting capacity of distributed energy resources using storage and communication

Sammanfattning: The use of electricity from Distributed Energy Resources like wind and solar power will impact the performance of the electricity network and this sets a limit to the amount of such renewables that can be connected. Investment in energy storage and communication technologies enables more renewables by operating the network closer to its limits. Electricity networks using such novel techniques are referred to as “Smart Grids”. Under favourable conditions the use of these techniques is an alternative to traditional network planning like replacement of transformers or construction of new power line. The Hosting Capacity is an objective metric to determine the limit of an electricity network to integrate new consumption or production. The goal is to create greater comparability and transparency, thereby improving the factual base of discussions between network operators and owners of Distributed Energy Resources on the quantity and type of generation that can be connected to a network. This thesis extends the Hosting Capacity method to the application of storage and curtailment and develops additional metrics such as the Hosting Capacity Coefficient. The research shows how the different intermittency of renewables and consumption affect the Hosting Capacity. Several case studies using real production and consumption measurements are presented. Focus is on how the permitted amount of renewables can be extended by means of storage, curtailment and advanced distributed protection and control schemes.