Using OPF-Based Operating Envelopes to Facilitate Residential DER Services

The proliferation of residential distributed energy resources (DER), such as solar PV and batteries, is creating opportunities for DER owners to provide system-level services through aggregators. However, if this aggregated response is not adequately managed by distribution companies, the simultaneous active power exports (or imports) can result in voltages and currents well beyond the limits of their networks. But the big barrier is that, often, distribution companies cannot directly manage DER or aggregators. This work proposes the use of operating envelopes—time-varying, meter-level export/import limits that a distribution company issues to aggregators—to ensure network integrity while facilitating residential DER services. The operating envelopes are calculated using a linearised, three-phase optimal power flow (OPF) technique that also exploits controllable network assets (e.g., on-load tap changers). Using a realistic Australian MV-LV network with 4,600+ residential customers, results show that network integrity can be ensured without the need for distribution companies to directly control DER. Furthermore, existing on-load tap changers create additional voltage headroom and, thus, larger operating envelopes (and potential services). Given that distribution companies do not know the ultimate exports/imports of customers providing services, a probabilistic testing of the operating envelopes confirms that they are adequate for most plausible scenarios.