ACTIVATE Research Project

Nowadays, electrical networks are facing a transition towards the proliferation of distributed generation, mainly caused by the advent of distributed renewable energy sources (DRESs), and is promoted by national and international policies. This, poses unprecedented technical challenges for the smooth and reliable network operation, such as voltage regulation issues, overloading of network equipment, abnormal frequency deviations, and dynamic stability problems. The main objective of ACTIVATE is to develop novel ancillary service solutions for TSOs and DSOs. The solutions aim at addressing the emerging grid operation challenges caused by the increased DRES penetration and especially their intermittent nature. ACTIVATE will propose the design of control strategies, combining the centralized and decentralized concepts to improve the performance of the network. To extend the applicability of the proposed strategies also a virtual inertia scheme will be incorporated to modify the control strategies of DRES converters. To enhance further the adaptability of the provided virtual inertia and to modify the overall dynamic response of the power system, energy storage systems will be used with novel congestion management techniques. Additionally, an innovative network monitoring architecture will be proposed to determine the converter virtual-inertia parameters and coordinate the hybrid control strategy operation. Finally, to facilitate the implementation and application of the proposed scheme in existing distribution grids, a three-phase converter will be developed. This converter will also act as monitoring units providing visibility to DSOs to perform stability studies. The ACTIVATE solutions will also be validated by simulations as well as lab tests. ACTIVATE will contribute to the increase of supply reliability and DRES penetration, in an attempt to meet the targets EU has set to improve sustainability, flexibility, and efficiency in electricity sector. Funded by HFRI.