Case Study: Detecting Distributed Energy Resources

The transition to a low carbon economy is a prominent goal for many modern day societies, and marks a new age for the energy industry.

The widespread uptake of distributed energy resources (DER) has continuously grown over recent years with no signs of stopping. Typically, we are seeing the following types of DER being installed on low voltage (LV) networks:

• Photovoltaics (PV)
• Electric Vehicles
• Batteries

Whilst these technologies represent a welcome change, embedded generating technologies, such as domestic PV, introduces reverse power flow, which is important for network planners and asset managers to be aware of.

EA Technology have developed the VisNet Hub monitoring platform, which provides measurements and insights into LV distribution systems. The VisNet hardware is complemented by a software package, enabling network operators to manage their LV networks in real-time. Alarms, historical data and the dynamic status of equipment for the entire LV network can be managed from one web application.

In this case study, we show how the VisNet Hub can be used to provide visibility of electrical networks by detecting the impact that PV has on power flow at substations.