Benefits of a combined flexibility utilisation between TSO and DSO for congestion management

Abstract

The phase-out of a large portion of the conventional power plants and a significant growth of distributed power generation by renewable energy sources together with the surge in electricity demand due to the raise of sector coupling are the cause of an increasing number of grid congestions in both the distribution and transmission grid. On the other hand, due to digitalisation and penetration of information and communication technologies, flexibilities for grid services will not only be offered from generation units but also progressively from active consumers. As many of these flexible resources will be allocated on the distribution grid level, the interaction between the transmission system operator (TSO) and distribution system operator (DSO) will become more frequent and the questions arise of how coordinated flexibility activation between them can be achieved to allow a more synergised flexibility usage. In this study, the benefits of integrated coordination between TSO and DSO compared to today's hierarchical top-down approach has been shown in regard to coordinating congestion management measures.