Optimising regional clusters of smart local energy systems

由低碳网络基金（LCNF）资助的一系列项目正在探索国家电网的转型。同时，Innovate-UK和其他公司正在投资各种项目，在社区和个人建筑层面开发分布式能源资产（发电、存储和需求管理）。开发一个新的整体控制系统架构是缺失的环节，这将使这两套投资的全部经济价值得以实现。该项目将研究一种技术解决方案的可行性，该方案旨在优化一个地区的多个智能社区电网。该技术是一种控制解决方案（由存储支持），旨在适应能源网络的新型分布式控制体系结构。它在变电站级应用网络化ICT解决方案，并使用电信网络管理中使用的智能预测算法。该解决方案建立在现有工作的基础上，为单个“智能电网”（例如覆盖单个商业园区或住宅开发）开发社区控制算法，旨在为这些本地“自下而上”的控制系统与现有的配电网络运营商和国家控制系统之间提供一个强大而安全的“中间件”集成层。据估计，这将为每个家庭每年提供高达300英镑的福利。这个项目的基本主张是，一个技术解决方案是可行的，它将使转变到这个新的整体架构。该解决方案采用安装在配电网络上的控制和通信技术集成包的形式（具有适当的管理算法，并且几乎肯定可以通过访问本地存储来支持）-主要是在变电站级别，但在一个地方（分区域或城市）以协调的方式工作，类似于电信网络的管理方式。这样的解决方案将使本地智能电网之间的交易和监管安排更加灵活，从而支持实现需求侧创新的全部经济价值。该解决方案将提供分布式控制能力，优化和管理多个本地智能电网，而不会给系统用户带来超过收益的额外成本。与支持互联网的技术基础设施类似，该解决方案将提供一个弹性控制基础设施，能够适应多种类型的本地智能电网。我们提出的解决方案与集中控制系统之间的关键区别在于，各个子系统（即本地智能电网和变电站）在必须与国家系统进行向上接触之前，将相互通信并在本地优化结果。我们的解决方案将开发算法并定义控制，保护和存储技术的支持包，以满足dno和国家系统运营商的需求（并可能取代现有的SCADA控制系统）。类似的（但集中的）解决方案目前存在于国家层面的电网，但成本过高（初步估计，仅在当地模仿国家管理算法，每个变电站就需要花费4万英镑）。该项目将探索在变电站层面开发一种封装解决方案的技术可行性，该解决方案每个变电站的成本低于5000英镑，至少提供相同的功能，但具有显著增加的灵活性和弹性。在这种情况下，有效的分布式控制和管理的主要优势是，它将使需求侧的创新变得更加容易，使本地优化和更多样化的智能电网方法能够在本地发展。

Transformation of the national electricity network is being explored through a series of projects funded by the Low CarbonNetworks Fund (LCNF). Simultaneously Innovate-UK and others are investing in a variety of projects to develop distributedenergy assets (generation, storage and demand management) at community and individual building level. Development ofa new overall control system architecture is the missing link which will allow the full economic value of both of these sets ofinvestment to be realised.This project will investigate the feasibility of a technology solution designed to optimise a number of smart communityelectricity networks across a locality. The technology is a control solution (supported by storage) designed to fit within anovel distributed control architecture for energy networks. It applies networked ICT solutions at substation level and usesintelligent predictive algorithms adapted from those used in telecommunications network management. The solution builds on existing work to develop community control algorithms for individual 'smart grids' (for example covering individualbusiness parks or housing developments) and aims to provide a robust and secure 'middleware' integration layer betweenthese local 'bottom-up' control systems and the existing distribution network operators and national control system. This isestimated to release benefits to individual households of up to £300 per year.The fundamental proposition of this project is that a technical solution is feasible which will enable the shift to this newoverall architecture. This solution takes the form of an integrated package of control and communications technologiesinstalled on electricity distribution networks (with appropriate management algorithms and almost certainly supported byaccess to local storage)- largely at substation level but working in a co-ordinated way across a locality (sub-region or city)and analogous to the way telecommunications networks are managed. Such a solution will enable more flexible trading andregulatory arrangements between local smart grids and hence support the realisation of the full economic value of demandsideinnovations.The solution will provide a distributed control capability that optimises and manages multiple local smart grids, withoutimposing additional costs on system users that exceed the benefits generated. Analogous to the technical infrastructurethat supports the internet, the solution will provide a resilient control infrastructure able to accommodate many and variedtypes of local smart grid.The key distinction between our proposed solution and centralised control systems is that individual sub-systems (i.e., localsmart grids and substations) will communicate with each other and optimise outcomes locally before having to engageupwards with the national system. Our solution will develop the algorithms and define the supporting package of control,protection and storage technologies to make this possible in a way which satisfies the needs of both the DNOs and nationalsystem operator (and potentially replaces existing SCADA control systems).Similar (but centralised) solutions currently exist for the electricity networks at national level but are prohibitively expensive(an initial estimate is that it would cost £40k per substation simply to mimic national management algorithms locally).This project will explore the technical feasibility of developing a packaged solution at substation level that costs less than£5000 per substation to deliver at least the same functionality, but with considerably increased flexibility and resilience. Theprimary advantage of effective distributed control and management in this context is that it will make it significantly easier toinnovate on the demand side, enabling local optimisation and more varied smart grid approaches to develop locally.