The transformation of the electrical grid opens the door to new opportunities for a more efficient operation of electrical grids and markets in the form of more distributed resources, that if correctly integrated, will boost the electrical system flexibility and reliability and improve overall efficiency and sustainability. The grid capable of meeting those challenges and attain those goals is what we can call the "Active Grid".

The Active Grid leaves behind current centralized control architectures, which are facing significant scalability limitations. in favor of a distributed and coordinated control based in three main principles:

• Dynamic and adaptive
• Flexible and interoperable
• Intelligent/li>

Current IOT technologies and improvements in field device computing allow the distribution and automation of a significant part of the analysis and control functions across different grid levels. The proposed Active Grid Architecture -- given its modularity and flexibility -- allows for direct integration with existing monitoring and control devices and architectures already in use:

1. Efficiently extending DSO's current monitoring and control capabilities to the whole grid (HV, MV and LV) and allowing the integration and coordination of the end customer in the grid operation

2. Enabling a whole set of new market services such as flexibility services: Demand response, Virtual Power Plants, Distributed storage, etc. -- or grid services: Distributed voltage control, service restauration, etc.

The proposed Active Grid architecture is already being piloted in the most challenging world electricity markets to allow MV/LV monitoring, improve reliability in grids with very strong penetration of distributed generation, or enabling the exchange of energy services in new transactive markets. The Sensible and Monash case studies demonstrate a completely new field of active grid management.

Juan Prieto
Manager, Optimization and Forecast
Indra

Mr Prieto has 19 years of experience in the energy sector as an industrial engineer. He is currently senior manager in the Smart Energy area in Indra. He has a wide international experience in projects related with the development of technological solutions for the management, planning and optimization of modern distribution networks and markets in electricity and gas.

He is in charge of the development and implementation of new tools and distributed architectures to allow the efficient and reliable operation of the future smart grid ecosystem, leading differing international projects in this domain.