Enabling Autonomous Reconfiguration of Low Voltage Networks

Abstract

The energy landscape for Low Voltage (LV) networks is changing. Due to embedded renewables, energy flows are increasingly bi-directional and the wider adoption of EVs and electrical heating are predicted to lead to increases in LV network load. These changes increase the burden and risk to LV networks, requiring the need for network reinforcements. Historically, LV networks are reinforced by adding more cables to the network or by manually re-configuring the network when warnings are reported. However, these solutions are likely to be insufficient in the future. A more active approach is required, which includes the ability to autonomously reconfigure the networks according to the local load. This is now feasible for LV networks because of the mass roll out of smart meters and the growing use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) which collate information about network topology. This paper proposes a framework that enables the autonomous reconfiguration of the LV networks using these two key data sources.