Model-Free DER Hosting Capacity and Operating Envelopes: Project Update
.
Distribution companies, who manage the poles and wires, struggle to have accurate and up-to-date electrical models of their residential areas, known as low voltage (LV) networks. Without electrical models, it is hard to assess the hosting capacity for distributed energy resources (DER) such as solar PV or electric vehicles; particularly when voltages are likely to be a major issue. Similarly, the calculation of operating envelopes requires quantifying the voltage effects from different exports or imports.
The project “Model-Free Operating Envelopes at NMI Level” addresses the aforementioned challenge and has demonstrated it is possible to capture the physics of three-phase LV networks from smart meter data using neural networks to create a fast and accurate electrical model-free approach. This enables us to calculate voltages allowing the calculation of DER hosting capacity and operating envelopes.
Join researchers from the University of Melbourne, Prof Nando Ochoa, Mr Vincenzo Bassi, Prof Tansu Alpcan, and Prof Chris Leckie, as they present updates on the data processing, the core technique, applications, and results using real smart meter data from hundreds of customers of three Victorian distribution companies. It will also include first-of-its-kind comparisons with a validated electrical model of an actual LV network part of the trials of the ARENA-funded Project EDGE.
