Planning and Operation of Networks for Flexible and Low-Carbon Power and Energy Systems

减缓气候变化的必要性正在推动电网成为低碳能源和可再生能源一体化、道路运输电气化和越来越多终端用途电气化的核心推动因素。向低碳、经济和社会可接受的电网快速发展的需求正在挑战当前的电力系统运行和规划实践。新兴的模式是摆脱对大宗供应侧控制、广泛的安全边际和高度冗余的基础设施的主要依赖。电网内部的演变与捕捉和利用网络及其相互连接的组件的内在灵活性所必需的技术的发展广泛相关。事实上，一个灵活的电网能够以较低的成本处理不确定性和减少的安全边际，同时仍然向所有消费者可靠地供电。最近的工作是处理电力系统灵活性的概念，并界定电力系统资源所提供的灵活性，界定和描述电力系统的灵活性要求，并制订使资源与需求相匹配的方法。在灵活性等式中被忽略的主要因素是网络，即电线，其作用是将灵活性从可用的地方输送到需要的地方。关于网络作为灵活性渠道的作用以及低碳电力系统运行和规划的相关方法和要求，有一个广阔的开放研究领域。提出的研究计划将针对高压输电网和中压配电网及其接口。在输电方面，我们将主要关注在大多数发电来自可再生间歇性能源的背景下，重新思考长期的大容量电网规划方法。在配电方面，主要的研究重点将是利用智能电表和自动化提供的新的控制和传感可能性的主动网络管理的操作化。还将讨论传输/分配接口，以调查在传输中引入灵活性约束和过程如何影响分配中的约束和过程，反之亦然。我们希望利用不同网格级别之间的协同作用，同时也关注不同要求的跨网络裁决。从更低的电价、更高的可靠性和更低的碳影响来看，更合理的电网设计和运营将使加拿大人和加拿大企业受益匪浅。这项工作的结果将有助于简化加拿大电力行业的脱碳工作，为电力公司提供优化电网资本投资和整合低碳发电的指导。

The imperatives of climate change mitigation are pushing electricity networks to become central enablers for the integration of low carbon and renewable energy, as well as for the electrification of road transport and more and more end uses. The need for a rapid evolution towards low-carbon, economical and socially-acceptable grids is challenging the current power system operation and planning practices. The emerging paradigm is to move away from prime reliance on bulk supply-side controls, wide safety margins and highly redundant infrastructure. The evolution within electric grids is widely associated with the development of technologies necessary to capture and exploit the intrinsic flexibilities of networks and their interconnected components. In fact, a flexible network is one capable of dealing with uncertainty and lessened safety margins at a lower cost while still delivering electricity reliably to all consumers.Recent work has been addressing the concept of power system flexibility and dealt with defining flexibility as provided by power system resources, defining and characterizing flexibility requirements for power systems and formulating methodologies to match resources to requirements. The element that has been mostly left out of the flexibility equation has been the network, i.e. the wires, whose role is to channel flexibility from where it is available to where it is needed. There is a vast open field of research on the role of networks as channels of flexibility and associated methodologies and requirements for low-carbon power systems operation and planning. The proposed research program will target both high-voltage transmission and medium-voltage distribution grids as well as their interface.On the transmission side, we will focus mainly on rethinking long-term bulk grid planning approaches in a context where most generation is from renewable intermittent sources. In distribution, the main research thrust will be the operationalization of active network management exploiting the new control and sensing possibilities offered by smart meters and automation. The transmission/distribution interface will also be addressed to investigate how the introduction of flexibility constraints and processes in transmission could influence constraints and processes in distribution and vice versa. We look to exploit synergies between different grid levels, while also looking at cross-network adjudication of opposing requirements.Canadians and Canadian businesses are set to benefit greatly from more rational design and operation of electricity grids in terms of lower rates, better reliability and lower carbon impact. The results of this work will contribute to streamlining the decarbonization of the electricity industry in Canada by offering guidance to electric utilities on optimizing grid capital investments and on integrating low-carbon generation.