DER and Network Integrity: Meter-Level Operating Envelopes

Residential distributed energy resources (DER) such as solar PV and batteries are becoming increasingly common. This is creating opportunities for DER owners to provide system-level services through aggregators. However, as the volume of DER providing services increase, the more necessary is to ensure the integrity of the distribution network; guaranteeing that voltages and power flows remain within limits. But the big barrier for distribution companies is that they cannot directly manage DER or aggregators. To overcome this barrier in an effective way, this webinar presents and discusses the concept of meter-level operating envelopes. In this concept, distribution companies calculate, in real-time or day-ahead, operating envelopes (time-varying export or import limits) at the connection point of the customers (where the meter is). This information is then given to aggregators for them to consider it as a hard constraint when deciding how to manage their DER portfolio. The concept and its effectiveness are illustrated using a realistic Australian distribution network. Finally, the webinar discusses the challenges associated with the calculation and implementation of such operating envelopes, including smart meter data, interactions among the three phases, fairness, and reactive power.