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TG2. Analysis of technical benefits (Siemens, ICCS/NTUA, Manchester, INESC Porto)

In this task we will examine the potential of Microgrids for enhancing the quality of supply seen by the end customers for a number of real (typical) distribution networks taking into account their operation conditions. This will include:

• Evaluation of reliability performance of networks that are characteristic for urban and rural areas, covering alternative network design policies practiced within EU. This will involve building appropriate network models relevant for reliability evaluations.
• Quantification of the contribution to services quality that is created by different generation technologies used in Microgrids; this will include Microgrids characteristic for Northern Europe (based on based micro CHP) and ones characteristic for Southern Europe (dominated by PV generation);
• Quantification of the monetary value of the benefits associated with improvements in reliability for various classes of consumers, including typical residential, commercial and industrial customers;
• Investigation of the needs for and the value of alternative technologies that can support islanding operation, such as short and long term storage facilities and demand side management.

Siemens will be leading this work with support from ICCS/NTUA, Manchester, INESC
Considering the reduction of losses in power systems with Microgrids, University of Manchester will asses the benefits that various levels of penetration of micro generation, considering their technology and mode of operation, will make. New evaluation methods will be applied for this purpose that, in contrast to detailed traditional network models, can provide estimates at the company or country level.
INESC will define a methodology of analysis regarding the impacts of large scale microgeneration grid connection, involving:

• Development of reliability models to evaluate impacts on security of supply, using well being analysis and chronological Monte Carlo simulation, or Markovian models;
• Construction of global specific indices to evaluate impacts in terms of loss reduction, congestion relief, security of supply and environmental benefits; This implies the definition of operating scenarios and their importance (time duration), considering different time horizons, for each system to be analysed;
• Multicriteria analysis exploiting adequate value function (to be built within this WP) and data envelopment analysis.

INESC will perform the studies analysing the technical benefits for the Portuguese transmission and distribution networks.
ICCS/NTUA will apply its software to quantify DG effects on reliability, reduction of losses and power quality. A similar analysis will be performed by Siemens using its software tool SINCAL.