Modeling and Analysis of Active Distribution Networks and Smart Grids

Dear Colleagues,

Renewable energy sources (RESs) will constitute the backbone of future energy systems and, due to their different characteristics and dependence on geography and climate, they will be scattered throughout the power system. In this context, a vast amount of distributed energy resources (DERs), such as large- and small-scale RES power plants, energy storage systems, electric vehicles, and smart loads will be integrated into low and medium voltage distribution networks, posing unprecedented challenges to both transmission and distribution system operators (TSOs-DSOs). These challenges include both local problems as well as system-wide ones related to the overall system stability. Local problems mainly include power quality, overvoltage and congestion issues caused due to the intermittent nature of RESs and mainly due to reverse power flow phenomena during high generation periods. System-wide issues include, among others, abnormal frequency deviations, subsynchronous oscillations, fast dynamic phenomena as well as complex interactions among transmission systems (TSs) and active distribution networks (ADNs). These are mainly caused because DERs are connected to the grid via inertialess converters.

The above-mentioned challenges therefore necessitate the development of new control methods and monitoring techniques to enhance the secure and reliable operation of future power systems. Towards this direction:

• New control functionalities must be developed for converter-interfaced DERs, targeting to improve their dynamic behaviour. Additionally, new centralized and/or distributed architectures should be developed to tackle power quality issues in ADNs.
• The participation of low and medium voltage level ADNs to the voltage control procedure and congestion management of TSs should also be explored. In this context, coordinated strategies, aiming to control the flexibility of several DERs in order to provide aggregated ancillary services (ASs) from ADNs to the TS are required. This way, full utilization of existing DERs will be ensured, while higher energy efficiency and resiliency will be achieved.
• New simplified aggregated, yet accurate, equivalent models must be introduced to facilitate the quasi-static, dynamic, and electromagnetic transient (EMT) analysis of ADNs. Such models can be optimally tuned using real field measurements, acquired through smart meters, phasor measurement units or frequency disturbance recorders.
• New monitoring architectures must be also proposed to assess close-to-real-time the dynamic performance and the stability margins of power systems. The performance of these monitoring architectures can be further improved by adopting machine learning and big-data analysis techniques.
• Numerical methods targeting to simulate complex interactions between ADNs and TSs should also be developed. These methods can be used to facilitate the modelling, operation, and control of ADNs for the coordination of TSO-DSO interactions and for the provision of aggregated ASs from ADNs to the TS.

The main objective of this special issue is to seek quality publications that highlight recent advances in the areas of monitoring, modelling, analysis, control, optimization, and simulation of ADNs as well as quality publications targeting to quantify the impact of converter-interfaced DERs on TSO-DSO interactions, system stability margins, and dynamic performance of ADNs. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Modeling and control functionalities of converter-interfaced DERs
• DER control principles for local and system-wide needs
• Flexibility in ADNs from battery storage systems, electric vehicles, and RESs
• Coordinated provision of ASs from ADNs to the TS
• Steady-state, quasi-static, dynamic and EMT analysis of ADNs
• Equivalencing of ADNs
• Centralized and distributed architectures for data-driven monitoring, analysis, and control of ADNs and smart grids
• Applications of machine learning and big data techniques for smart grid analysis
• Numerical techniques and models for the analysis of complex interactions between ADNs and TSs
• Impacts of converter-interfaced DERs on power system stability and dynamics
• Application of real-time simulation and power hardware-in-the-loop analysis of ADNs

Dr. Eleftherios O. Kontis
Prof. Theofilos A. Papadopoulos
Guest Editors

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