DISPOWER

Distributed Generation with high penetration of renewable energy sources

The European electrical power system and the energy markets are undergoing fundamental changes. Initiated by the ongoing process of liberalisation of the European energy market, the unbundled energy sector is now in transition to more competition in electricity generation, distribution and trading.

The new players which entering the market are the driving forces that further support the already existing trend towards more distributed generation (DG) of power, which until now has mainly been induced by the increasing integration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and cogeneration (CHP). This trend leads to numerous technical and non-technical challenges. Strong efforts have to be undertaken to maintain a reliable, cost effective and sustainable electricity supply. RES and other DG units have to be integrated in the distribution networks as well as generation has to be managed together with the load. Last but not least, energy markets will be strongly affected in respect to technical and socio-economic aspects.

Against this background, the DISPOWER project was carried out 2001 to 2006 in order to support the transition of nowadays energy supply towards a more decentralised and market oriented supply structure. New concepts, strategies and tools have been developed and implemented in order to improve the production and distribution of electricity under new constraints, supporting the opening of new opportunities in a growing electricity market.

As key project in the European Cluster for Integration (IRED), the DISPOWER project included activities ranging from theoretical studies to technology development, laboratory and field tests. With its broad consortium consisting of 39 partners from 11 countries representing utilities, component manufacturers, service providers, universities and research institutions, DISPOWER brought together all relevant actors. The results of the project represent a unique knowledge portfolio to pave the way for the integration of RES and DG into the European electricity system.

arsenal research coordinates activities on Power Quality and Safety

Based on the know-how gained in previous projects, arsenal focussed on specific technical issues of power quality and safety in DG networks. As coordinator of work package 2, together with 14 European partners, safety relevant issues of DG interconnection, protection methods and devices were analysed. Furthermore, the impact of transient phenomena and other types of network disturbances, which are usually directly related to faults, was assessed. Based on these investigations a comprehensive set of recommendations for future DG standards was developed, which ensure a high level of quality and safety even at high DG penetration levels.

Project related downloads

DISPOWER Final Public Report, 2006 (not yet published)

Identification of general safety problems, definition of test procedures and design-measures for protection
B. Bletterie, R. Bründlinger, C. Mayr, J. Kirchhof, M. Moschakis, N. Hatziargyriou, S. Nguefeu
Project Report, European Project DISPOWER, 2006.

State of the art solutions and new concepts for islanding protection
Roland Bründlinger, Christoph Mayr, Andy Causebrook, Jonathan Dahmani, David Nestle, Régine Belhomme, Christophe Duvauchelle, Denis Lefebvre
Project Report, European Project DISPOWER, 2006.

Unintentional islanding in distribution grids with a high penetration of inverter-based distributed generatlion: Probability of islanding and protection methods
Roland Bründlinger, Benoit Bletterie
Powertech 2005, 27.-30. June 2005 in St. Petersburg, Russia

Sensitivity of photovoltaic inverters to voltage sags – test results for a set of commercial products
Benoit Bletterie, Roland Bründlinger, Hubert Fechner
18. International Conference on Electricity Distribution, 6.-9. June 2005, Turin, Italy

Verhalten von PV-Wechselrichtern bei Netzstörungen - Testergebnisse aktueller Geräte & Empfehlungen für zukünftige Standards
Roland Bründlinger, Benoit Bletterie, Christoph Mayr
21. Symposium Photovoltaische Solarenergie, 12.3.2006, Bad Staffelstein, Deutschland

Project data

Duration of the project: 1.1.2002 to 31.12.2005
Project budget: EUR 17 Mio.
Supported by the European commission, DG research, Contract no. ENK5-CT-2001-00522

Project Consortium

D Institut für Solare Energieversorgungstechnik ISET e.V.
D Fraunhofer-Institut für Solare Energiesysteme ISE
A Österreichisches Forschungs- und Prüfzentrum Arsenal GmbH
F ALSTOM's T&D Sector
NL Amsterdam Power Exchange
F ARMINES
EL Centre of Renewable Energy Sources
I Centro Elettrotecnico Sperimentale Italiano
B COGEN Europe
NL Energieonderzoek Centrum Nederland
F Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris
UK Econnect Ltd.
F Electricite de France
E Energía Hidroeléctrica de Navarra, S.A.
DK EMD
D Dutrain GmbH
D Gerhard-Mercator Universität Duisburg
EL Germanos S.A.
D Universität Kassel
E IBERINCO
E Iberdrola Redes, S.A.
UK Imperial College
D MVV Energie AG
EL Institute of communication & computer systems of the National Technical University of Athens
UK IT Power
B KU Leuven / ESAT-ELECTRA
D Kirsch GmbH
E Fundacion LABEIN
D SMA
D Stadtwerke Karlsruhe
PL Technical University of Lodz
UK TheMet. Office
I Università di Genova
UK UMIST
UK University of Strathclyde
F Vergnet S.A.
A Verbundplan GmbH