A new deliverable of the ALEXANDER project is available and deals with the development of a novel, grid safe concept for flexibility provision from the LV grid.
The grid constraints of the DSOs can be accounted for in different market stages, ranging from prequalification, procurement, activation, and settlement steps. In this deliverable, we assess the options of
- not considering any DSOs constraints when TSO procures flexibility from DERs (named no-DN);
- performing a static prequalification of DERs resources before they join the TSO flexibility market (named prequalification-BaU, as this resembles business as usual to a large extent in Belgium);
- performing a detailed and dynamic prequalification of DERs generating limits constraining their participation in the TSO flexibility market (named with-OE, as the methods proposed in this step have focused on operating envelops); and
- embedding the DSOs constraints in the procurement phase, together with the market clearing of the TSO-level market (named full-DN).
We develop mathematical models for these different options to study their benefits and drawbacks in terms of market efficiency (procurement cost), market clearing speed, DSO grid safety guarantees, and volumes of discarded flexibility due to distribution grid constraints.
We also evaluate the feasibility of implementing the proposed solutions for the grid-safe activation of distributed (LV) flexibility in the Belgian context. This feasibility is based on the market set-up (e.g., type of buyer, applicable products, etc.), the market clearing process (timing and complexity of the market clearing), TSO-DSO coordination (requirements regarding data sharing), data implications (requirements on data granularity, data sharing between market stakeholders), operational challenges and the resulting impact on the potential of flexibility participation, and finally the applicability of the different methods (which can depend on the state of the grid and the regulatory framework.
Interested to find out more, please check the deliverable here.
