The decarbonisation process of energy systems, underway both at European and national level, is substantially affecting the electricity system. In the future, the distribution networks will have to be able to integrate a greater share of distributed generation (DG), to guarantee at the same time the participation of resources connected to the distribution network in dispatching and local flexibility services. The study of possible future development scenarios and of the impact of new control techniques are, therefore, preparatory for the evolution of the planning and operation of the distribution networks.

The activity aims to develop methodologies to conduct analyses, with local detail, of the large-scale evolution scenario, considering the co-presence of different energy vectors (electricity, gas, district heating). The detailed study on the electricity grid, conducted in collaboration with Unareti (distributor in Milan, Brescia, and Alto Garda), aims to identify, in the various possible alternative scenarios, the critical issues and the related consequences on the methodologies for planning electricity grids, also considering the potential benefits from local flexibility services.

This report presents the development of a distribution network planning methodology that considers both conventional network reinforcements (replacement of lines and transformers) and the exploitation of power flexibilities provided, specifically, by distributed generation, EV charging systems and electrified end users (heat pump heating/cooling systems). Within the methodology, an innovative procedure for the selection of the network elements subject to intervention, and a linear optimization problem, suitable for large and complex networks, whose goal is the minimization of the global cost of the network under analysis, are developed. The methodology is validated through two selected case studies for a total of five tests, defined for evaluating both conventional planning interventions and those based on the use of power flexibility.

The Report is available on the Italian site