Page 22 - CARILEC CE Industry Journal_Oct_2019

Overcoming the Challenges of

Integrating DER on Island Networks

- Tim Spearing, Lucy Electric, UK

Abstract -- Although Caribbean islands have options for Energy networks are changing and the way we generate,
the use of domestic renewable energy resources; the distribute and consume electricity is changing. More
integration typically becomes more restricted as supply renewables are being connected on the distribution
systems become smaller. However, new solutions are network which will displace the larger transmission
now available which help to ensure best use is made of connected generation. New low carbon technologies such
flexibility, demand side response, storage and renewable as wind, solar, electric vehicles etc., are changing the
generation at all network levels. This paper will consider way suppliers generate energy, and the way consumers
how increasing capacity of existing assets, introduction use energy, making the system more complex and
of flexible connections and real-time control will help variable. Furthermore, renewable energy resources are
ensure that distributed energy resources can be added to being located closer to consumers.
networks, helping to support decarbonization ambitions
and delivering an efficient, resilient and future proofed Networks are becoming smarter and more active [1].
energy system. Figure 1 is a map of the Western Power Distribution
network area in the United Kingdom; they operate 4
Index Terms -- ANM, Latent Capacity. licensed areas. These networks were designed and built
to accommodate the single [winter] peak demand, as
NOMENCLATURE shown for each of these regions. Over the past decade
this network has seen embedded generation come to
ANM – Active Network Management dominate the peak power flows on distribution networks.
DER – Distributed Energy Resource Traditional investment planning may not be able to deal
DNO – Distribution Network Operator with these new scenarios as utilities will have to
DSO – Distribution System Operator accommodate temporary constraints on the networks, a
FDIR – Fault detection, isolation & restoration diverse range of generation and rapid clustering, such as
LIFO – Last In First Out electric vehicles and PV installations. To accommodate
RTU – Remote Terminal Unit the growth in energy usage and the diversity of the energy
sources, traditional DNO would require substantial
investments in a passive grid infrastructure, which would
ELECTRICITY GRIDS be underutilized most of the time.
ARE CHANGING

The traditional electricity grid was characterized by one
way power flows from transmission to distribution. We
have ‘grown-up’ with a transmission network that does
most, or all of the work for balancing the system.
Transmission companies balance the electricity supply
and demand in close to real time, because electricity
could not be stored and had to be produced at the time of
demand.

Figure 1 - Growth in DER

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