Real experience with active DER in distribution networks

Abstract

The EU Commission in the target of promoting distributed energy resources (DER) into existent networks approved FENIX 1. One of the main outcomes of the project has been an architecture based on the Virtual Power Plant (VPP) concept, which allows increasing the DER penetration massively while optimizing the power system. The project considers two physical demonstrations. This paper describes one of them located in the North of Spain. A group of units of different technologies is used actively in a distribution network (30 and 13kV in Alava province) operated by Iberdrola Distribution. DERs aggregated provide various ancillary services as tertiary active reserve and voltage control to both DSO (Iberdrola) and TSO (Red Eléctrica Española-REE)). This paper covers not only the technical description of the Spanish demonstration but also a brief economical analysis of it. The cost-benefit study includes the comparison between the active participation of DER and the current passive situation in terms of: losses, quality of service, electricity price, and displacement of CO 2 emissions from conventional generation. Overall it outlines the economical advantage of active DER under the correct degree of penetration.