N2 Opportunity Assessment
Low voltage network visibility and optimising DER hosting capacity Report at a glance
Final Report RACE for Networks Program Research Theme N2: Low voltage network visibility and optimising DER hosting capacity Project Code: 20.N2.A.0126 ISBN: 978-1-922746-11-5 November 2021 Project team CSIRO
Monash University
Julio Braslavsky Paul Graham Lisa Havas Jane Sherman Brian Spak
Mohsen Khorasany Reza Razzaghi
UNSW Simon Heslop
UTS – Institute for Sustainable Futures Scott Dwyer Ed Langham Kriti Nagrath Jaysson Guerrero Orbe
UTS Jahangir Hossain Ibrahim Ibrahim Ruhul Amin
What is RACE for 2030? The Reliable Affordable Clean Energy for 2030 Cooperative Research Centre (RACE for 2030 CRC) is a 10-year, $350 million Australian research collaboration involving industry, research, government and other stakeholders. Its mission is to drive innovation for a secure, affordable, clean energy future. https://www.racefor2030.com.au Project partners
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Low voltage network visibility and optimising DER hosting capacity
Report at a Glance
Research Theme N2: Low voltage network visibility and optimising DER hosting capacity What is the report? The aim of this research theme is to help customers connect and operate DER (Distributed Energy Resources, including rooftop solar panels, home batteries, electric vehicles and flexible loads) by improving the visibility of the operating conditions of electricity network and the DER. The purpose of this report is to help align RACE researchers with industry stakeholders, and policymakers and regulators on the current challenges and issues related to improving network visibility and increasing DER hosting capacity. It identifies a research roadmap that can help the RACE for 2030 CRC (and others) guide research in this topic. The roadmap identifies goals that the research should meet to enable reliable, affordable, clean energy by 2030. Why is it important? There is a worrying trend in Australia to limit customers’ PV connection, generation and export due to the real and perceived technical limits of the low-voltage distribution network. This report seeks to raise awareness of the gaps in knowledge about the actual limits of low-voltage networks and provide evidence to network businesses, policymakers and others about paths forward to cost-effectively improve network visibility and increase utilisation of networks’ capacity. Over time, the projects pursued under the research roadmap will help customers connect and operate DER’s in ways that make financial and common sense to them. It will also enable the network to host additional customer DER’s and provide additional services to the wholesale market and to the network. It will decrease the total cost throughout the grid by integrating customers’ DER into the distribution system. What did we do? To compile this report, we: • reviewed industry capability to understand data quality and increase network visibility • identified approaches for assessing DER hosting capacity • developed a framework for analysing different approaches for communicating and sharing information about network limits • summarised existing network and non-network solutions for increasing hosting capacity • developed a roadmap for research out to 2030 • calculated the wholesale market benefits of increased hosting capacity for rooftop solar and electric vehicles. What difference will it make? This report provides a transparent view of the current state of the art for understanding network conditions and outlines a path forward to cost-effectively increase network visibility and improve hosting capacity. It will drive a research program that will enable increased integration of customer DER and improved network utilisation. What next? RACE for 2030 will draw on the research Roadmap to undertake a range of research projects to • Better integrate data between networks and DERs, including showcasing and sharing information and developing rules for data governance. • Develop tools and models for efficient and equitable network planning and operation. • Explore integrated approaches to using DER to provide network services and identify the value of DER services for networks and customers. PAGE 3
Low voltage network visibility and optimising DER hosting capacity
www.racefor2030.com.au
N? Opportunity Assessment Project title
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B4 Opportunity Assessment Project title
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