Naveed Ahmed

Pakistani researchers have developed a flexible transmission dynamic line rating (FTDLR) model to efficiently integrate renewable energy sources (RES) into the national grid and to resolve the power lines’ congestion problem.  In this regard, Eng Iqbal Hussain, Head of Micro Hydro, Pakistan Council of Renewable Energy Technologies, told WealthPK that the Pakistani government is attempting to enhance the share of RES in national electricity mix. However, he added the existing transmission network is not designed to support a broad integration of RES.

He said it is necessary to increase the carrying electrical load capacity of the transmission network to better integrate RES into the national power grid. He explained that the location of RES is usually far away from the location of powerhouses coupled with a less-developed transmission infrastructure, which results in congestion on transmission lines.

Iqbal Hussain said adding new transmission lines to the national grid is a lengthy and costly process, making the transmission capacity of the power system insufficient to accommodate the additional power from renewable resources. “Consequently, new cost-effective strategies are required to enhance renewable energy utilisation efficiently.”

Meanwhile, Dr Muhammad Numan, assistant professor at the National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, told WealthPK that considering the problems of RES integration into the national grid and power lines congestion, he has conducted research at NUST’s US-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Energy to explore how the current electricity transmission network can facilitate large-scale renewable energy systems’ integration into the national grid.

Numan said FTDLR model is a key strategy for minimising electricity transmission network congestion and maximising renewable energy resources' integration into electric power grids. He said according to predicted weather conditions, an FTDLR model is used to identify potential lines to be taken off service from the network and upgraded to increase the overhead transmission line carrying capacity. “Optimisation can help boost the efficiency of the existing network, which helps defer the need to build new infrastructure.”

He said the proposed model could be implemented in real-time operations of the power system with advances in smart grid technology by switching a small fraction of the network lines off from the network and adopting FTDLR. He added that authorities could utilise it practically in real-time operations.

According to research findings, the system might save up to 24.64% on operational costs. In addition, adopting FTDLR results in a 31.94% reduction in power line congestion, he added.  He explained that to increase the integration of renewable energy systems into the national grid, regular small investments are needed in transmission infrastructure to cope with the rising load demand and congestion on the network.

Numan said the FTDLR model developed by the research team could be used to maximise the benefits of integrating renewable energy resources while simultaneously reducing the need to upgrade or construct new transmission infrastructure. He said deploying the proposed optimisation model could add to the effective utilisation of renewable generation. “Moreover, in the future, authorities can extend this model to include more robust algorithms for solving severe line congestion and large-scale RES integration at the national level.”

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk