Active Distribution Networks tools and practices developed in project NextGrid
NextGrid is organizing a Workshop at CIGRE Symposium in Trondheim May 12, 2025
Background
The electric distribution system is a crucial enabler in the transition towards a renewables-based and highly electrified energy system. The traditional way of operating the distribution grid has been to ensure enough capacity to avoid the need for active grid operation, such as real-time monitoring, frequent reconfiguration and activation of flexible resources.
To meet that rapidly growing demand and renewable generation, active measures should become standard in the future DSO operation.
This has been in focus for well over a decade, e.g. following the work of CIGRE Working Group C6.11 “Development and operation of Active Distribution Networks” (ADNs). However, the realisation and implementation seem to be slow.
NextGrid project and topic for the workshop
The hypothesis of the NextGrid project is that large parts of the required technologies and actors are already in place and are awaiting the scale-up of the market for these products, such as monitoring solution, flexibility market operators and flexibility providers. However, the demand for these products is not growing in a serious way, and will not, before the DSOs have the tools and practices to exploit these opportunities in the grid operation at scale.
Several developments will be adressed:
-Moving on from today’s (mainly) manual reactive processes to more proactive automated real-time operation
-Development of operational planning at the DSO level, to prepare for a more automated and optimal real-time operation, including the acquisition of flexibility, optimizing network topology changes
-Combining existing products and services for ADN into a complete value-chain, from sensors and data acquisition to the grid actions, via the decision support systems of the DSO
We are still early in the process with invitations and program. More information about the workshop programme will be published later on NextGrid.no.
About CIGRE Symposium 2025
CHANGES NEEDED IN THE POWER SYSTEM – for the Energy Transition
CIGRE Symposium is an annual event, and takes place from 12-15 May at the Clarion Hotel Trondheim.
The aim of the CIGRE Symposium 2025 is to provide a forum for recent research results, planning and system operations experience related to the changes the power system is undergoing because of the energy transition.
The symposium is organized and supported by eleven CIGRE Study Committees which are highly active in the system design and operation as well as in the technologies needed to overcome the challenges.
Program and registration
NextGrid receive support through the Green Platform in the period 2023-2025. The Green Platform projects are funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries and are administered jointly by the Research Council of Norway, Innovation Norway and Siva.
NextGrid’s website is operated by The Norwegian Smart Grid Centre through the WP7 Publishing and Dissemination work package. News about NextGrid will be published on nextgrid.no and shared in The Norwegian Smartgrid Centre’s newsletter.
The Norwegian Smart Grid Centre is a national centre of expertise for smartgrids where members collaborate on research, innovation and knowledge sharing for a sustainable, secure and cost-effective energy system.