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Operational decision-making is a core element of our DSO Operations responsibility. It requires informed trade-offs to achieve the best whole-system outcomes while balancing our three key objectives:
Managing the flow of power across our network is core to what we do. If the power our customers need exceeds the limits of the cables and equipment, it can cause damage such as overheating. This can cause faults on the network leading to customers experiencing power cuts and can also reduce the life of our assets which increases network costs.
Our capabilities within DSO Operations give us greater visibility of network conditions enabling us to ensure we make decisions that continue to reliably deliver the volume of electricity our customers need, when they need it, to power their homes and businesses.
As the UK transitions to be become less reliant on fossil fuels and consumers move towards cleaner electric power for transport and heating, our volume of power flowing through the network will continue to increase and the electricity infrastructure must also grow to accommodate it.
We will continue to invest in building our network bigger where it is needed. However sometimes the extra capacity is only needed for short periods when power flows are at their maximum. In these circumstances it may be cheaper for the DSO to alter the power flows using flexibility markets or by reconfiguring the network. By operating in a ‘smarter way’ we can reduce the overall cost of the distribution network and thereby reduce customers’ energy bills.
To support the UKs NetZero targets we must ensure that that clean, cheap, renewable energy already connected onto our network is available to supply to customers when it is available.
We are maximising the volume of locally produced electricity generation, from clean energy sources such Solar Panels and Wind Turbines, that is passed through our network to serve UK customers.
To meet our DSO Operations Objectives, our decisions span across three key enablers: Flexible Network Capacity, Faster Connections and Increased Generation Production. Each of these enablers has a tool-kit of measures that we use;
We are ensuring that the capacity of the network can meet the needs of our existing customers when and where they need it by leveraging services from local flexibility markets.
Procurement of Flexibility Services: Securing flexibility up to a year ahead of real-time provides certainty for addressing known constraints within the planning phase, ahead of the operational window. This proactive approach enables better investment decisions by ensuring the availability of flexibility to defer reinforcement.
Dispatch of Flexibility Services: The short-term market enables us to address any immediate flexibility needs by supplementing long-term procurement. By utilising up-to-date datasets and forecasts, up to a week ahead of real-time, we gain a more accurate understanding of network loading. This approach reduces the risk of flexibility shortfalls and delivers better value to customers.
We are advancing generation connections to release additional capacity to the existing network for customers who want to connect new demand sources.
MW Dispatch & Technical Limits: We have worked alongside NESO to develop both of these pathways for advancing connections without needing to wait for new or reinforced transmission infrastructure.
Modelling Assumptions: Flexible connections enable an accelerated connection without waiting for any new distribution or transmission assets to be built, or for the existing infrastructure to be reinforced. We have taken a less conservative approach to our network modelling, particularly with battery storage, to provide an improved curtailment analysis for customers progressing through Technical Limits.
Through a more dynamic assessment of our network assets, and improved modelling of generation behaviour, we are able to better quantify any risks to the security of supply during planned network maintenance where sections of the network need to be taken offline.
Network Maintenance Optimisation: During planned maintenance work, we transfer the load of the section we’ve taken offline to another section of the network. This temporarily increases the power flows through the new section and we must manage any risk to ensure it isn’t overloaded.
Network Maintenance Scheduling: Additionally, we are also able to find more suitable timings for network maintenance to minimise the impact to generation production.
