Coordination of Demand-Side Flexibility Resources for Preventive Congestion Management in Distribution Systems

Abstract:
A coordination function (CoF) is proposed as a measure of preventive congestion management in the distribution grid. The CoF coordinates flexible loads of customers by using information on their planned electrical demands given by their home energy management systems. Based on the aggregated demand data, the predicted grid condition is analyzed. If congestion is detected it is resolved by making adjustments to the flexible loads from their original plans utilizing the opportunities provided by the CoF. For the energy rescheduling two different methods, i.e., a quota-based approach and an equal-share approach, are evaluated. The results show that, by adjusting flexible loads, the CoF can effectively resolve anticipated congestion while creating only minimal curtailments for the customers. However, this will come with significant costs of up to 10% for the customers, so there is a need for compensation for participating in a flexibility coordination. The comparison of both methods shows that a hybrid approach should be pursued in further research.