The Norwegian DSO Arva is joining the CINELDI research project and will add 40 Heimdall Neurons to their grid, making it the largest Dynamic Line Rating implementation of its kind.
Arva started implementing Dynamic Line Rating back in 2018. 8 Heimdall Neuron sensors were installed on Arva´s power lines. This enabled a windfarm with installed capacity of 250MW to connect to the existing grid without delays. The installation of the Heimdall Neurons took only 2 days. Arva avoided a 10-year process of concessions, planning and building, and could put a 30 MEUR grid investment on hold.
Arva is estimating that they will receive grid connection requests for a capacity of 1500MW over the next 10 years. To meet this increase in consumtion Arva is now looking at system level monitoring – moving from Dynamic Line Ratings to Dynamic System Ratings. The same technology will now be used to optimize large area grids, helping Arva to connect e.g. new seafood industry, green industry, hydrogen production, electrified consumption (electric vehicles and ferries), and more renewable generation.
To get the system level monitoring of DLR, Arva is adding another 40 Heimdall Neurons to 100 km of overhead power lines in their 132 kV regional grid. This will monitor bottlenecks giving them the possibility to increase the capacity at critical sections of the grid. The solution will also optimize the integration of Arva’s grid towards the TSO Statnett.
“AS WE KNOW THAT IT TAKES 5 TO 10 YEARS TO BUILD NEW GRID, WE KNOW WE NEED TO UTILIZE THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE MORE EFFICIENTLY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THESE NEW CUSTOMERS.”
Fredd Arnesen from Arva
FLEXIBLE POWER GRID BY DYNAMIC OPERATION
The project “Flexible power grid by dynamic operation” is part of our research project together with the Centre for Intelligent Electricity Distribution (CINELDI). The project was kicked off by the DSO Linja in March, and will investigate the benefits of system wide monitoring and the values of instrumenting several lines in a power grid.
Maren Istad is coordinating all the pilot projects in CINELDI. “Related to Arva there are several important research areas for CINELDI”, says Istad. -“For inctance, how the new information and predictions of power line capacity can be used in planning and operation. Can we, in the short-term perspective, utilize the existing grid better and connect more grid customers within the required safety margins? In the long term, we are looking for possibilities to postpone grid upgrades by operating the grid closer to the limits, but still within an acceptable risk level. This large-scale system level pilot will help us answer which data and analyses are necessary to achieve this.”
Istad also points out that this project allows CINELDI to explore how data from Heimdall Neurons can be displayed in the operation center for possible synergies with other measurements used in monitoring of the grid. “It allows us to investigate how the new information can be used to assist automated deplyment of flexibility, e.g. demand response. Knowing the actual capacity of the power grid also means knowing when flexibility, e.g. demand response, is necessary Istad concludes.” she states.
THE USE CASE
The grid that will be instrumented is complex with a lot of hydro power production and consumption. To secure N-1 and avoid or resolve occurring congestions, the TSO use a lot of re-dispatching with large cost for society. In many situations there is not enough capacity in the power lines to distribute production out to the transmission grid. Because of these limitations in Arva’s power grid, requests for new connections are until now declined.
The main goal for this project is to provide insight into the real capacity in the power lines and look at how this insight can help Arva operate the power grid more efficiently and utilize existing grid infrastructure in a better way.
ABOUT CINELDI
Centre for Intelligent Electricity Distribution (CINELDI) is one of the Centres for Environmental-Friendly Energy Research in Norway. CINELDI is led by Sintef, and has several Norwegian grid companies as partners. The centre works towards digitalising and modernising the electricity distribution grid for higher efficiency, flexibility and resilience.
ABOUT ARVA
Arva is the 6th largest DSO in Norway with about 120.000 customers, and is responsible for North-Norways largest grid area. Their power grid has a total length of 15 000 km with various voltage levels from low voltage distribution lines to high voltage regional transmission lines. They distribute energy to the two largest cities in the north of Norway as well as sea industry at the coast and a lot of renewable production, both wind and hydro.
heimdallpower.com/largest-dlr-project/