Forecasting and validation tools for distribution networks with Active Demand

Abstract

Active Demand (AD) refers to the active participation of small consumers in energy systems by means of the flexibility they can provide. Since these consumers do not have direct access to energy markets, in the EC FP7 project ADDRESS a new intermediary function, called the aggregator, has been introduced to bridge this gap. The aggregator gathers the flexibilities provided by consumers to form AD-based products, and offers the AD-based products to energy system participants through various markets. In this framework, the Distribution System Operator (DSO) has the role to check whether the traded AD-based products are compatible with the network constraints and operation. To do this, it needs suitable applications to validate the feasibility of AD-based products. The contribution of this paper is to present such applications developed within ADDRESS, together with algorithms for forecasting of load and distributed generation providing necessary inputs to validation tools

Computational methods for technical validation of demand response products

“…It is stressed that the parameters of the lines have been exaggerated so as to highlight voltage problems when the AD products are active. Indeed, the aim of the proposed examples is simply to illustrate the solution of the OLV-OPF in (5).…”

“…The same curtailment factor is applied for the whole duration of AD product i, thus coupling power balance equations at different time steps. This is a more realistic implementation than that proposed in [5], where decoupling in single periods was adopted, thus allowing for different curtailment factors at different time steps, which is impracticable.…”

“…For instance, it could buy a load reduction in a LV network to solve under-voltage problems. On the other hand, the DSO is responsible for technical validation of AD products by checking whether they are compatible with network constraints and operation [5]. Technical validation is needed for different time horizons.…”

“…OLV is formulated as an optimal power flow (OPF) problem with the objective to minimize the curtailment of the AD products (OLV-OPF) [5]. OPF has been extensively studied in the literature and surveys of various optimization techniques proposed to tackle its solution can be found in [6]- [8].…”

Models and Techniques for Electric Load Forecasting in the Presence of Demand Response

“…The process through which a DSO checks whether AD products traded by aggregators on the markets are compatible with network constraints and safe operation, is called technical validation. It is basically performed by means of an optimal powerflow calculation, taking as inputs the model of the network, load and generation forecasts, AD programs, and scheduled operation of the grid [9]. If the technical validation process results in the violation of some constraints in the network, the minimal curtailment of the AD products, so that they become feasible, is determined.…”