Application of Convex Optimisation to Enhance National Grid’s NOA Process

National Grid Electricity System Operator (NGESO) is the electricity system operator for Great Britain and is responsible for ensuring a reliable supply of electricity in Great Britain. Each year, the NGESO publish their recommendations, as part of the Network Options Assessment report, for major reinforcement projects in the National Electricity Transmission System (NETS) to meet future network requirements.

The Network Options Assessment (NOA) process aims to help the electricity industry ensure a secure, sustainable and economical future. NOA recommends a set of investment options to the transmission system owners to facilitate changes to power flows driven by the electricity market and achieve a collective goal towards sustainable and best value future of our electricity grid.

Currently, analysis for NOA is predominantly based on winter peak conditions. With the increasing penetration of renewable generation and changing demand patterns due to embedded generation (and post COVID change in consumer demand pattern), the cost of maintaining secure voltages across the network is increasing. The planning process can influence operational costs by recommending assets that will have enable the management of voltages and reactive power in operational timescales.

The University of Strathclyde and the NGESO embarked on an 18-month research project to improve the voltage and reactive power assessment capabilities in NOA. Through this project, a framework has been developed that will enable NGESO to perform year-around voltage and reactive power assessment, and thus reducing the cost of voltage management in future operation.