Endinet – Future Challenges in the Electricity Grid #SWI2012

Endinet is a network company that distributes electricity and gas to various customers in the province of North-Brabant of the Netherlands. Endinet owns the medium (10kV) and low voltage (230V) networks of Eindhoven and a part of Veldhoven and is responsible for the operation and maintenance of these networks. Most of the network operators in the Netherlands operate their low voltage (LV) grid in the radial configuration because of ease of operation. However, Endinet has chosen a meshed network configuration to enhance the availability of the network service. Another goal of a network operator is to ensure enough capacity of the network components (such as cables, transformers, etc.) for the maximum load condition and to maintain voltage quality at different network points as specified in the standards (to prevent damage to the electrical devices).

Problem Description

In recent years, many solar panels are getting installed at the customer’s premises. This has changed the conventional unidirectional power flow to a bidirectional power flow. With the addition of new loads such as electric car charging, customers’ demand profile is changing too. For these changing circumstances, Endinet would like to know whether the existing network can still meet the capacity requirements and fulfill the voltage quality needs. Also, it is interesting to know whether the choice for a meshed configuration is still wise.