Direct Current (DC) links integration into existing Alternating Current (AC) distribution grids is a current trend both at national and international level. Such links can be regarded as competitive candidates for network planning and reinforcement, when compared to traditional solutions, and can provide additional services to the existing infrastructure.

The methodology for the analysis of network planning and reinforcement studies presented here is designed to compare technical solutions based on MVDC (Medium Voltage Direct Current) links with traditional AC ones. The study considers the general structure of different DC links that can be integrated in existing grids and contributes to the identification of possible characteristics that can be exploited as network reinforcements. After this preliminary analysis, a brief description of the proposed methodology is given by specifying the key evaluations and comparisons that must be carried out to classify the most adequate reinforcement candidates.

The application of the proposed methodology to the analysis of realistic network models (considering also existing Italian grid structures) can provide a support for the identification of the most promising structures that could benefit from the integration of DC links. The activities summarized here, jointly developed by RSE and Università degli Studi di Palermo, are a first milestone that will be further exploited in the second phase of the collaboration by the analysis of different case studies based on real data.

The Report is available on the Italian site