Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

The energy sector is moving into the era of Smart Grids (SGs). The main concept in a typical SG is the evolution of a centralized, partially-automated, producer-controlled network to a decentralized network that minimizes the environmental adverse impacts; maximizes grid reliability and performance; and enables real-time interactions between customers, network operators and power producers. To achieve this vision, the state-of-the-art planning, design, operation, and control strategies should be adopted to integrate conventional power grid components, distributed and renewable generation, energy storage devices, advanced grid control devices, power electronic converters, automated sensing and metering devices, and information and communication technologies. A natural evolution of the SG concept is the transformation of a conventional distribution system into an Active Distribution System (ADS). The latter hosts distributed and renewable generation and is equipped with embedded low- and high-level energy management and control algorithms. Substantial research efforts are needed to achieve the SG and ADS vision and overcome integration issues. The proposed research work aims to the development of modeling, planning and control tools and algorithms that will facilitate timely and safe integration of ADS devices into existing networks. With close co-operation with the industrial partner of this project (Hydro One Networks and Natural Resources Canada), the proposed research work will help to facilitate the safe transformation of Hydro One Networks distribution system into intelligent ADSs through better understanding of requirements and upgrades, and providing assessment tools, planning algorithms and control design procedures.