Impact of distributed resources on the electric grid

未来的电网将包括新能源，包括可再生能源，以及一系列带有嵌入式智能和通信系统的设备。这一发展将使电网更加可控和可管理，使它们能够更好地应对新的限制，包括气候变化（智能电网的概念）。可再生能源，如风能和太阳能，是提供清洁能源的一种手段，从而取代基于化石燃料的发电，用于生产世界上一半以上的电力消耗。可再生能源可以在传输层面连接，如大型风电场，也可以在配电层面连接。当与电力存储相关联时，这些资源或分布式能源可以嵌入配电网中。本提案中研究的一种整合方法是创建整合这些资源的实体，并具有明确的物理边界。然后，这些实体或单元可以作为更大电网的一个组成部分或作为自治系统运行。除了发电之外，这种方法还将提供许多好处，包括在正常和紧急情况下支持电网。在主电源中断的情况下，该实体将能够作为一个孤立的系统运行，至少向关键负荷供电。如果该实体或单元保持运行，则可用于帮助恢复主网格的完整性。该项目将开发方法和技术，帮助将可再生能源和分布式资源纳入电网，说明使用这些资源的额外好处，并允许向智能电网过渡。预计未来几年在电力基础设施更新方面的新的和大规模投资将为技术转让和加拿大电力公司，设备制造商和能源顾问中的高素质人才的就业创造重要机会。未来数年，大批电力工程师退休，亦会创造就业机会。

Future electricity grids will incorporate new energy sources, including renewable energy, and a wide array of equipment with embedded intelligence and communications systems. This evolution will make electricity grids more controllable and manageable, allowing them to better respond to new constraints, including climate change (the concept of smart grids). Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, are a means of providing a source of clean energy, thus displacing fossil fuel based generation, used to produce more than half of all electricity consumed in the world. Renewable energy sources can be connected at the transmission level, as in the case of large wind farms, or at the distribution level. When associated with electricity storage, these resources, or distributed energy resources, can be embedded within the distribution grid. An integration approach, investigated in this proposal, is to create entities incorporating these resources, with well defined physical boundaries. These entities, or cells, can then be operated either as an integral part of the larger grid, or as autonomous systems. In addition to power generation, this approach would offer a number of benefits, including support of the grid under normal and emergency situations. In the case of a disruption in the main supply, the entity would be capable of operating as an isolated system, with at least the critical loads being supplied. If the entity, or cell, remains operational, it could be used to help restore the integrity of the main grid. This project will develop approaches and technologies to help integrate renewable energy and distributed resources into electricity grids, make a case for the added benefits of using such resources, and allow a transition towards an intelligent electricity grid. The new and large investments expected over the next years in the renewal of the electricity infrastructure will create significant opportunities for technology transfer and for the employment of highly qualified personnel, within electric utilities, equipment manufacturers, and energy consultants in Canada. Employment opportunities will also be created by the retirement of a large number of electrical power engineers within the next years.