Impact of distributed resources on the electric grid

未来的电网将纳入包括可再生能源在内的新能源，以及一系列具有嵌入式智能和通信系统的设备。这种演变将使电网更加可控和易于管理，使它们能够更好地应对新的制约因素，包括气候变化（智能电网的概念）。风能和太阳能等可再生能源是提供清洁能源的一种手段，从而取代了以化石燃料为基础的发电，化石燃料的发电量占世界总用电量的一半以上。可再生能源可以在传输层面连接，比如大型风力发电场，也可以在分配层面连接。当与电力存储相关联时，这些资源或分布式能源可以嵌入到配电网中。本提案研究的一种集成方法是创建包含这些资源的实体，并具有明确定义的物理边界。然后，这些实体或单元可以作为更大网格的组成部分或作为自治系统进行操作。除了发电之外，这种方法还将带来许多好处，包括在正常和紧急情况下支持电网。在主供应中断的情况下，该实体将能够作为一个孤立的系统运行，至少提供关键负载。如果实体或单元仍然可操作，则可以使用它来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整合到电网中，说明使用这些资源的额外好处，并允许向智能电网过渡。预计今后几年在电力基础设施更新方面的新的大量投资将为技术转让和在加拿大电力公用事业、设备制造商和能源顾问领域雇用高素质人员创造重大机会。未来几年，大量电力工程师的退休也将创造就业机会。

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.