14/04/2019

TITRE PRESENTATION 1
TECHNO-ECONOMIC
ASPECTS OF POWER SYSTEMS

Ronnie Belmans
Stijn Cole
Dirk Van Hertem

2
 OVERVIEW

• Lesson 1: Liberalization
• Lesson 2: Players, Functions and Tasks
• Lesson 3: Markets
• Lesson 4: Present generation park
• Lesson 5: Future generation park
• Lesson 6: Introduction to power systems
• Lesson 7: Power system analysis and control
• Lesson 8: Power system dynamics and security
• Lesson 9: Future grid technologies: FACTS and HVDC
• Lesson 10: Distributed generation

PRESENTATION TITLE 3
 OUTLINE
INTRODUCTION TO POWER SYSTEMS

• Power systems
• Grid structure
• Grid elements
• New investments in the grid
• Tasks of the TSO
• Grid operation issues
 THE GRID OF TODAY

• Transmission network
• To transport the electric
power from the point of
generation to the load centers
• All above a certain voltage
• (Subtransmission)
• Distribution network
• To distribute the electric
power among the consumers
• Below a certain voltage
 STRUCTURE OF THE POWER GRID
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
• Transmission system
• Higher voltage (typical at least 110 kV and higher)
• Power injection by generation and import, large
consumers
• Interconnected internationally
• Meshed nature-Redundancy
• (Subtransmission system)
• Between transmission system and distribution system
• Connection of large industrial users and cities
• Open loop/partly meshed
• Distribution system
• 400 V to some ten of kV
• Industry, commercial and residential areas
• Radial
 INDUSTRIAL NETWORK (HAASRODE)

• Transformer: 70 kV/10kV, 20 MVA

UCTE
EXAMPLE: MAP OF THE IBERIAN TRANSMISSION
SYSTEM
 TRANSPORT OF ELECTRIC POWER

P or S = U *
• Electric power P [MW] I
• Alternating current S [MVA]
• Two ways to increase the transported power
• Increase current I
• Larger conductor cross-section
• Increase voltage U
• More insulation
• Two ways to transport electricity
• Alternating current (AC)
• Direct current (DC)
 PROBLEM FACED BY ELECTRICITY
PIONEERS
AC OR DC?

• Direct Current DC
• Generator built by W. von Siemens and Z.Gramme
• Low line voltage, and consequently limitation to size of the
system

• Alternating current AC
• Introduced by Nikola Tesla and Westinghouse
• Transformer invented by Tesla allows increasing the line voltage
• Allows transmitting large amounts of electricity over long
distances
TRANSFORMER
 AC TRANSMISSION SYSTEM

• Frequency of 50 or 60Hz
• Current changes direction 100 or 120 times a sec
• Active AND reactive power in the same line
• 3 phase system
• Line voltages can be easily and economically
transformed up and down
• AC current does not use the whole conductor
• Skin effect
• AC conductors have larger diameters
than adequate DC
SWITCHYARD
 DC TRANSMISSION SYSTEM

• Only active power

• Current flows in one direction
• Conductor cross-sections fully used
• Low transmission losses
• Requires DC-AC converters to control the voltage
level
• Expensive
• Switching of higher voltage DC more difficult
 AC VS DC

• Advantages of AC
• Cheaper transformation between voltages
• Easy to switch off
• Less equipment needed
• Known and reliable technology
• More economical in general
• Rotating field
• Advantages of DC
• Long distance transmission
• Higher investment costs offset by lower losses
• on 1000 km line, 5% for DC opposed to 20% for AC
• Undersea and underground transmission
• No reactive power problem
• Connection of separate power systems
COST OF TRANSMISSION LINE
FUNCTION OF VOLTAGE LEVEL
 LINES AND CABLES

• Overhead transmission lines

• Economical
• However, visual pollution
• Widely used in transmission over large distances
• Underground cables
• More expensive than lines
• 5 to 25 times higher capital costs for 380kV
• Underground, thus invisible to the public
• Ground above the cable can be still used
• However, maintenance costs are significant
• Widely used in urban areas
OVERHEAD LINE
 TRANSMISSION CAPACITY UPGRADE

• AC overhead • Evaluation: different

points of view
• New line
• Technical
• Refurbishing • Economical
• New conductor types • Regulatory
• AC underground • Environmental
• Conventional cables
• GILs
• HTS
 OVERHEAD AC TRANSMISSION
NEW LINE

• Advantages
• Widely used in transmission over large distances
• Most economical (especially in rural areas)
• Well-known technology

Best choice from techno-economic point of view

 Classic approach to network reinforcement

 OVERHEAD AC TRANSMISSION
NEW LINE

• Environmental aspects
• Visual impact
• Vegetation
• Population
• Town planning
• Cultural heritage
• Natural site and landscape
 OVERHEAD AC TRANSMISSION
NEW LINE

• Social and political issues

• Concern about health effects
• Not popular → heavy resistance
• NIMBY
• NIMTO
• BANANA
• CAVE
• NOPE
• Regulatory
• Permit process up to 15 years
 OVERHEAD AC TRANSMISSION
NEW LINE

Conclusion

• Best from techno-

economic point of view
• Worst from
environmental, social
& political point of
view

• Very difficult to
construct new lines in
industrialized countries
 alternatives needed!
 OVERHEAD AC TRANSMISSION
ADDING/REPLACING CONDUCTORS

• Increased ampacity
• Without supplementary environmental impact
• Within existing right-of-way
• Equip second circuit
• No new towers needed  cost effective
• Heavier conductors
• Tower and foundation modifications may be needed → very
high cost

 new conductor types

 OVERHEAD AC TRANSMISSION
NEW CONDUCTOR TYPES
• Material properties
• Composite core
• Surrounded by aluminium(-zirconium)
• Increased strenght and reduced weight
• Increased ampacity
• Economics
• Significantly higher cost
• No tower modifications needed
• Regulatory
• Outdated standards state maximum
conductor temperature independent of
conductor type
• Other drawbacks
• New technology → limited experience
e.g.: no data on expected lifetime available
• Higher operating temp  losses increase
 AC CABLES

• AC cables vs. overhead lines

• Technical
• Almost no maintenance needed
• Repair more difficult
• Technical difficulties at high voltages
• Limited distance
• Economical
• 5 to 25 times higher capital costs (€/MVA)
• Although cost differences have narrowed
• Repair costs are significant
 AC CABLES

• AC cables vs. overhead lines

• Environmental
• Invisibility
• Dangers: oil spill, poisonous SF6 arcing by-products
• Social & political
• Less right-of-way needed
• Permitting takes less time
• Less concern for health risks (although electromagnetic fields are
higher)
• Ground above the cable can still be used
• Widely used in urban areas
 AC CABLES

• Classic
• Paper insulated, oil-filled
• XLPE
• New types
• Higher voltages
• Lower losses
• More expensive
 AC CABLES
NEW TYPES

• Gas Insulated Cables (SF6)

• Higher voltages due to better insulation
• Suited to bulk transmission
• C lower  suitable for long distances
• Complex placement (many joints)
• Arcing by-products hazardous for environment
• Considered for future tunnel connections (e.g. in the Alps)
• Temperature protection
• Operating very close to limits
• Belgium: Tihange - Avernas
 AC CABLES
NEW TYPES

• High Temperature Superconducting

• No conduction losses at cryogenic temperatures
• Cooling losses
• Cooling and cooling equipment expensive
• Reduced dimensions
• Environmentally friendly
• Could prove economic for specific cases
• R&D needed
AC CABLES VS DC CABLES

Source: ABB
CABLES
 TASKS OF THE TSO

• Transmission System Operator TSO

• Operates the grid
• Constant monitoring of system conditions
• Frequency control (active power)
• Voltage management (reactive power)
• Administrates the settlement of unbalances
• Access Responsible Parties (ARP) need to balance their
productions and consumption
• TSO takes actions if ARP deviates from the schedule
• TSO charges the ARP for the incurred costs
“To keep the lights on”
 ARP

Production
~ ~ ~
Import/
Export
Grids

I/E ARP1 ARPN I/E

Consumer
FREQUENCY CONTROL
 TASKS OF THE TSO

• Frequency control
• Primary frequency control
• Compensate for short-term unbalances at local level
• Stabilize frequency within acceptable range around set point
• Secondary and tertiary frequency control
• Control the load-generation balance at the programmed
export-import
• Contribute to bringing the frequency back to its set point
• Relieve the primary control reserve after an incident
• Scheduled (set point) frequency (time control)
• Laufenburg control centre in Switzerland
• To account for the Synchronous Time deviations
• 50.01 or 49.99 Hz for the whole day
 TASKS OF THE TSO

• Reactive power management and voltage

control
• Primary voltage control
• Excitation of generators
• Capacitors
• SVCs (Static Var Compensators)
• Secondary voltage control
• Zonal coordination of the voltage and reactive power
control
• Maintains the required voltage level at a key node
• Tertiary voltage control
• Optimization of the reactive power distribution
 TASKS OF THE TSO

• Constant monitoring of system conditions

• State estimation
• To get best possible picture of system conditions
• Find a best-fit load flow
• Based on metered values (imperfect measurements)
• Contingency analysis
• N-1 security rule
• One accident cannot bring the system in danger
• Redundancy
FROM NATIONAL TO INTERNATIONAL
GRID
 SYNCHRONOUS AREAS IN EUROPE

• UCTE
• Established in 1951 as UCPTE, 9 control zones, currently 27
• 23 countries, 33 TSOs, 620 GW installed capacity, 295 TWh exchanges
• Full synchronous operation of its members in 1958
• absorbed many “smaller” initiatives along the way
• CENTREL, SUDEL, COMELEC
• 450 mln. people, annual electricity consumption 2500 TWh.

• Nordel
• F,SWE,NO,DK (part)
• UKTSOA
• UK
• ATSOI
• Ireland
• UPS/IPS
• Ex Commonwealth of Independent States
 SYNCHRONOUS AREAS (1)
WHY CREATE SYNCHRONOUS AREAS
?
• Increase grid reliability and mutual support
• Improved system frequency control to minimize major
disturbances
• Mutual support in case of emergencies
• Sharing reserve capacities
• Facilitate functioning of the electricity market
• non-discriminatory domestic and cross-border access to the grid
• No need for synchronous area as such, also possible with dc
links

Example of direct benefits

• Zone of 15 GW production capacity loses its largest unit 1 GW
• Isolated: needs to develop 1 GW in less than 5s to avoid collapse
• As a part of UCTE it needs to develop its share of the two largest UCTE
unit, and thus x% of 3GW, in 15-30s.
 SYNCHRONOUS AREAS (2)
CHALLENGES

• Coordination and control of the power flows

• Interdependency of power flows
• Interconnected systems share benefits and problems
• Problems on top of the above
• Often different standards applied in control zones
 TECHNICAL STANDARDS DIFFERENCES

• Exact same line can have different capacities

• Different interpretation of frequency control
• Different operational standards

Source:
IAEW
 SYNCHRONOUS AREAS (3)
OPERATIONAL HANDBOOK (UCTE)
“Stronger interconnections require common and
consistent understanding of grid operation and control
and security in terms of fixed technical standards and
procedures”

• Result of discussion between all TSO’s involved

• Successor of past technical and organizational rules
and recommendations
• Unification and formalization of standards
• To make the best possible use of benefits of
interconnected operation
• To keep the quality standards in the market
environment
Operation handbook:
http://www.ucte.org/publications/ophandbook/
 CROSS-BORDER POWER FLOWS
IN EUROPEAN GRID

• Typical power flow pattern

• Countries structurally exporting or importing
• However
• Unstable production strongly influences the pattern
• Wind generation
• Restrictions consist typically of several lines
• What matters for the grid are individual lines flows!
• This differs considerably from the physical “border capacity”
UCTE PHYSICAL ENERGY
EXCHANGES 2004 [GWH]
LEVEL OF CONGESTION BETWEEN EU
MEMBER STATES

Source: DG COMP
 FRANCO-BELGIAN BORDER 2001

• Unexpected flows not just ONE TIME event

• More like a permanent thing
 WIND POWER IS A PROBLEM

• Large wind parks problematic for the network

• Unstable dispatch within a zone
• Will there be wind? Not too much?
• Unstable loop flows

• Benelux case
• Positive correlation between loop flows and wind in
Germany
• Up to 0.4
• Loop flows almost entirely through BE and NL
 PHASE SHIFTER INVESTMENTS IN
THE BENELUX IN ORDER ALLOW
POWER FLOW CONTROL
1. Meeden (Nl)
1 2. Gronau (D)
3. Kinrooi (B)
4. Kinrooi (B)
2
5. Zandvliet (B)
5 6. Monceau (B)
3

6
 HOW DANGEROUS CAN UNEXPECTED
FLOWS BE?

• Unannounced wind power in the north Germany

• Actual event - Monday 27 Oct. 2003, 18h00 -
20h00

• Very heavily loaded D-NL border

• 4550 MW total physical flows in the direction of
NL
• 2380 MW more than scheduled
• Loss of N-1 security on 2 cross-border lines
• Loss of N-1 security on phase shifting
transformer
 UNANNOUNCED WIND POWER IN
THE NORTH D
- 980 - 3068SCHEDULED POWER EXCHANGES

B 798 NL 2169 CENTREL

- 1017 - 2967 PSE
ELIA TENNET D 2150 PSE CEPS

North PL CZ

RWE
1815

SEPS MVM

South +3903
SK H +3126

4669
F +3846
RTE - 504
GB
1525 A
- 426 APG

118
752
DC link 575
120 +677
CH
646
E +2614 ETRANS

REE +2560
3022

401
I ELES
SLO
ELES
P 1704 - 5380 481 - 452
HEP

REN TERNA HR BiH

 UNANNOUNCED WIND POWER IN
THE NORTH D
SCHEDULED POWER EXCHANGES VS PHYSICAL
- 980 - 3068
POWER FLOWS
B 798 NL 2169 CENTREL
- 1017 - 2967 PSE
ELIA
1485 TENNET 4553 D 2150 PSE CEPS

North PL CZ

RWE
1815
505

1421 SEPS MVM

South +3903
SK H +3126

4669
F +3846
RTE - 504
GB
1525 342

1189
- 426 A APG

118
752
DC link 575
120 +677
CH
646
E +2614 ETRANS 28
REE 846 +2560

3022
2875

401
I ELES
SLO
ELES
P 1704 - 5380 481 - 452
HEP

REN TERNA HR BiH

1267
 UNANNOUNCED WIND POWER IN
THE NORTH D
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND
PROGRAMMED FLOWS
B NL CENTREL
2283 2384
ELIA
TENNET PSE CEPS

729
2320

North
PL CZ

D
SEPS MVM

South SK H

RWE PSE
F 4327

1307
RTE
A

APG
CH
ETRANS
E 1492 92

REE

I 147 ELES
SLO
ELES
P 437
HEP
TERNA
REN HR BiH
CUMULATIVE WIND POWER
INSTALLED CAPACITY
2005
WIND POWER INSTALLED IN
EUROPE BY END OF 2005
SHARE OF DAILY WIND POWER IN RESPECTIVE DAILY
PEAK DEMAND IN E.ON-GRID (GERMANY).
 CONCLUSIONS

• Grid operation becomes more complex

• Due to the market based flows
• Caused by wind energy
• Controlling frequency and voltage by active and
reactive power