Allan Miller

Director

Electric Power Engineering Centre (EPECentre)

Introduction to:Renewable Energy and the Smart Grid

GREEN Grid

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Contents• Background and overview of the project

• Project Team

• Electric Vehicle Research – Scott Lemon

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Background• 2012 MSI (now MBIE) Investment Round

• Energy and Minerals RFP (14 December 2011), Targeted Research Questions:• 4. What are the supply variability characteristics of current and potentially applicable renewable

resources across all energy markets, what are the challenges they present for efficient and secure energy supply and how can new technologies and practices for managing variability help?

• 5. What economic and technical models can be utilised to evaluate the potential impact of renewable energy feeding into our distribution networks?

• 6. What mechanisms can be used to investigate the performance of low voltage networks, subject to bi-directional power flows as a result of the input of renewable energy?

• Co-funding is expected

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Background…• Our proposal addressed these research questions in two parts:

• Part 1

• Managing supply variability of renewable energy in the network

• (addresses Question 4)

• Part 2

• Cost-effective, functional and safe distribution network

• (addresses Questions 5 & 6)

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Overview of the Project

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Overview of the Project…• Essence of Part 1:

• Perhaps supply variability can be managed through demand variability

• I.e. continuously and actively adjust demand to somewhat match variable supply (perhaps through a new ancillary service, or a combined ancillary service)

• Demand side management (short term and long term)

• Consumers may have loads, existing and new, that are suitable to control at certain times

• Fridges, heat pumps, heated towel rails, lighting, electric vehicles (water heating)

• Individually these are not a significant load

• Collectively they may make up a significant load

• Enable the demand side to participate more actively in the electricity market

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Overview…• Questions arising from part one:

• What are the characteristics of renewable energy generation variability

• How much load is likely to be controllable within a home and collectively (i.e. size of controllable loads and their diversity)?

• What is in it for the consumer (i.e. is it economic for them)?

• What are the trends re. uptake of new technologies (EVs, PV, home automation)?

• What are the attitudes of the consumer to demand side management?

• How might demand be aggregated and, in particular, used by the System Operator to manage renewable energy generation variability

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Overview…• Essence of Part 2:

• Modelling methods for the following:

• The economics of distributed generation – fewer large schemes or many small (roof-top) schemes?

• Technical and economic implications of distributed generation

• Technical issues associated with residential photovoltaic generation

• The effect of new loads and distributed generation on power quality in the low voltage network

• Focus on getting the right models, to be able to update results as technology and the market change

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Overview…• Target studies that address Part 2:

• 2.1 Technical and economic study of large scale distributed renewable generation connected to the medium voltage distribution network

• 2.2 Technical and economic impacts of different scales of photovoltaic deployment and wind generation on the low voltage network

• 2.3 Smart methods and guidelines for protection and automation in the low voltage network experiencing bidirectional flows

• 2.4 Customer service level and low voltage network power quality

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Large scaleGeographical and temporal variation

Storage

Geographical and temporal uptake of new technology (EVs, PVs, DM, and home-automation)

Technology in transmission and distribution, power quality, safety

• Dr Allan Miller, EPECentre Director and Director of GREEN Grid

• Dr Alan Wood, Senior Lecturer, ECE, University of Canterbury, Leader of Part One, Co-Leader of Part Two

• Dr Nirmal Nair, Senior Lecturer, PSG, University of Auckland, Co-Leader of Part Two

• Dr Rebecca Ford, Post Doctoral Fellow, CSAFE, University of Otago, Leader of 1.2

• Dr Janet Stephenson, Director of CSAFE, University of Otago

GREEN Grid Core Project Team

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