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Unique insight into power quality issues occurring in smart grids

A screen shot of the real-time data from the measurement campaign on Bornholm showing the measurement locations. The plots on the right show 24h trends

Baltic Sea measurement campaign carried out as part of EMRP project enables operating conditions to be monitored

The increased use of renewable energy is vital to secure the energy supply in Europe however the power provided can be intermittent. Smart grids are needed to reliably manage large amounts of energy, by balancing variable supply with changing demand. EMRP project Measurement tools for Smart Grid stability and quality (ENG52 SmartGrid II) made measurements for varying distribution networks in order to determine power quality propagation mechanisms. This will support future network planning and standardisation.

Measurements have been carried out for the Bornholm distribution network using software developed in the project. This Baltic Sea distribution network is a model smart grid which represents an example of the 2050 EU energy scenario with more than 50 % renewable energy resources. The software displays live voltage and power data on a map using instruments also developed in the project and weather data to correlate the renewable generation. This enables the operator to see the response at various locations so that operating conditions can be monitored thereby providing a unique insight into the power quality issues that will occur in smart grids.