A comprehensive technical-economic optimization model for electric distribution grids

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Markus Wolfgang Zdrallek
• Subject Area: Electrical Energy Systems, Power Management, Power Electronics, Electrical Machines and Drives
• Term: from 2016 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 327321553

Due to the German "Energiewende" the electricity industry and especially distribution grids are facing tremendous technical and regulatory changes. In order to manage these changes and to match the upcoming requirements distribution grid operators have to adjust their management strategy continuously. Existing submodels for distribution grids mainly focus on isolated aspects of the whole business such as the reliability of distribution grids or an optimized configuration of Asset-Management or Asset-Service. Therefore they can only determine local optimized strategies for single parts in the grid business. The various interactions and dependencies between these submodels are more or less neglected. Therefore, the main project objective is to develop a comprehensive technical-economic optimization model which covers all relevant submodels and aspects (Reliability, Asset-Management, Asset-Service and Regulation) of the electrical distribution grid business. To combine all these aspects a modular model kit is developed in order to analyse and learn more about the qualitative and quantitative dependencies, interactions and long-term effects between the submodels. The overall distribution grid optimization model allows a comprehensive simulation of current and future grid tasks and structures, Asset-Service an Asset-Management organisations as well as regulatory and political frameworks and therefore is able to define a global, overall optimum strategy for distribution grid operators business.This optimal strategy will finally result in reduced grid feeds which will have a positive, long-term impact on the whole economy. Germany's largest grid operating company (Westnetz GmbH) will support the project with all data needed in order to make sure that the final comprehensive optimization model is in step with (actual) practice.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants