Ampacimon: a smart way to increase the efficiency

of the high voltage electricity grid2011

2011 2

The challenge

The Electricity transport & distribution network

is the major bottleneck, slowing down the change towards a

Electricity market with a significantly reduced CO2 footprint

2011 3

The possible solutions

Within the network the most difficult bottleneck to remove are the lines

• Invest in new transport and distribution lines– Takes at least 10 years– Is extremely expensive: about 1 M€ per Km– Is not well accepted (NIMBY) by the population

• Improve the efficiency of the existing network– Using advances in IT and communication infrastructure to

enable new operating modes– Without decreasing security of supply

2011 4

The current situation

• The maximum current a conductor can carry is a function of the maximum allowable sag

• On overhead lines (the vast majority of the network) the conductors are more or less cooled by the ambient weather conditions strongly influencing the sag

• This effect is currently not taken into account because it is not measured. Worst case assumptions are taken when dimensioning the line:

Static line rating

2011 5

The proposed future

• The real-time situation of the conductor is accurately measured

• The maximum current that can be transported is calculated based on this measurement

• Based on the measurement history and weather forecasts the future transport capacity can be predicted

Dynamic line rating

2011 6

The gains

• Actual measurements show an average gain of 60% in advantageous locations (in this case Brugge-Oostend)

• When taking into account forecasting uncertainty a 25% average gain can be predicted day-ahead

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50Winter 2009 : 15 LFRS Theix current/ampacity occurences when module switched on

Current / Ampacity smoothed (SECURE states ignored)

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[%] &

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Actual currentMax allowable currentCorresponding Perp. WS

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50Summer 2010 : 15 LFRS Theix current/ampacity occurences when module switched on

Current / Ampacity smoothed (SECURE states ignored)

Occ

uren

ces

[%] &

Win

d sp

eed

[m/s

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Actual currentMax allowable currentCorresponding Perp. WS

2011 7

The remaining challenge: CHANGE

• Change to the operational and planning processes– Correct assumptions for long-term network planning– Correct assumption for maintenance (mid-term) planning– Increased uncertainty in exploitation

• Part of the general change required to reduce the CO2 footprint– Uncertainty of consumption patterns (pro-sumers, e-vehicles …)– Uncertainty of production patterns (intermittent energy sources)– And now uncertainty of transport & distribution capacity (Dynamic Line

Rating)

Global approach required!

2011 8

Real-life examples: ELIA

• Initial validation of the technology• Used to connect more wind parks in the Ardennes in

combination with Active Network Management

2011 9

Real-life examples: Twenties

– Largest EU funded project in electricity sector ever– Focused on the technologies that will allow the large scale

integration of renewable energy sources– Real-life demonstrations– www.twenties-project.eu

2011 10

Ampacimon System Components

2011 11

Ampacimon Architecture

2011 12

Conclusions

• Very significant gains (60%) can be achieved with smart technologies

• The remaining challenge is not technology but process and change management

The electricity market will need to evolve towards « just in time » management as the

products market did years ago