outlines of rte’s r&d programme for 2017-2020 · 2018-08-24 · summary rte is publishing the...

Outlines of RTE’s R&D programme

for 2017-2020

Summary

RTE is publishing the outlines of its R&D programme for the 2017-2020 period. The programme is aimed at strengthening RTE’s capacity for anticipating the major disruptive transfor-mations with which it will be confronted.

Indeed, the current context is marked by an undoubtedly historic convergence of radical transformations, and even revolutions, including the energy transition, digitisation of the economy, and changing societal expectations with regard to the environment and energy. At the same time, a number of technological advances are opening up new perspectives, with innovations in the areas of materials, applied mathematics, advanced computing, telecom-munications, and power electronics.

The transformations already identified in 2012, during prepara-tions for the previous R&D programme, have thus been confirmed and have even significantly accelerated over the last several years, including the massive migration of power generation methods towards renewable energies and decentralised generation, the digital transformation impacting the entire electric power value chain, and especially system operators, with the emergence of smart grids and the new possibilities offered by big data and further European integration.

In addition to these developments, fresh changes have appeared on the scene or are emerging:

- the increasing importance accorded to local government authorities, resulting from regulatory changes (e.g. the MAPTAM Act), technological changes (e.g. smart grids) and societal changes (e.g. “eat local” initiatives);

- the increasing interactions between the various energy networks and the need to develop multi-fluid and/or multi-energy strategies;

- the emergence of mature distributed storage solutions;

-and finally, considerable uncertainty about the viability and sustainability of the energy sector’s current economic model, with several players in the sector experiencing great difficulties throughout Europe.

Thus the technical, economic and societal foundations of the electric power system are being challenged through the effect of the energy transition, new power-electronics-based grid equipment and digital technologies.

In this framework, RTE must therefore continue its R&D activities oriented towards improving performance and securing technical choices, including: increasing the transmission capacity of cables and decreasing power losses, reducing the construction costs of underground lines, qualifying new technologies to master their impact before deploying them on an industrial scale, formula-ting advanced simulation and optimisation tools to develop and manage the system by ensuring its operational security, optimi-sing asset management, optimising the use of infrastructure via demand response mechanisms, and so on.

However, in view of the massive scale of the three revolutions currently underway (i.e. the energy transition, the digital revo-lution, and societal changes), RTE’s R&D teams must simul-taneously strengthen their capacity for anticipation and, in so doing, broaden their field of study beyond the boundaries of transmission systems. On the one hand, system security depends on all the equipment connected to the grid and, on the other hand, potential developments are currently emerging involving the massive integration of power storage components or the coupling of different energy networks (e.g. gas and heating networks).

BROAD OUTLINES OF RTE’SR&D PROGRAMME

BROAD OUTLINES OF RTE’SR&D PROGRAMMEFOR 2017-2020 FOR 2017-20202

RTE is therefore pursuing the efforts initiated during the first roadmap over the 2013-2016 period and is embarking on new efforts. Thus, RTE’s R&D efforts for the 2017-2020 period will be structured into six programmes:

THE “ASSET MANAGEMENT” PROGRAMME This programme continues on with activities undertaken to reach the use phase for research initiated during the first roadmap.

THE “GRID INFRASTRUCTURE EVOLUTION” PROGRAMME

This programme continues the efforts initiated under the “Grid of the future” programme with a reinforcement of the equip-ments’ ecodesign dimension and increased use of digital techno-logies to implement the equipments’ control systems, protection devices and associated defence plans.

THE “ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY” PROGRAMME

This programme will be strengthened in relation to the existing programme, particularly as regards the ecodesign and biodiver-sity dimensions.

THE “POWER SYSTEM FUNCTIONING AND OPERATION” PROGRAMME

Firstly, this programme continues on from a large part of the “Power system» programme with the dual objective of ensuring that the system remains secure with all the major physical trans-formations leading to a true power system 2.0 (i.e. based on power electronics) and, secondly, it aims to substantially upgrade the system’s operating tools through the integration of big data processing and visualisation capabilities.

THE “OPTIMAL GRID DEVELOPMENT FOR THE ENERGY TRANSITION” PROGRAMME

This programme is aimed at rethinking grid development study methods and tools in the context of the energy, societal and digital transitions currently underway, with a view to: better integrating cross-functionality with respect to operation / maintenance and asset management / development, and to proposing the right balance between power and digital infrastructure in the develop-ment of a power system 2.0.

THE “FORESIGHT, ECONOMICS AND SMART GRIDS” PROGRAMME

This programme builds on the momentum achieved on smart grids, but will be greatly strengthened in a variety of complemen-tary ways, including prospective studies on the development of the electric power sector (or more broadly, the energy sector as a whole), with an active watch on all issues interfacing with the electric power system (power-to-gas, electric vehicles, etc.) and on societal developments (smart cities, new consumption patterns), storage, economic analysis on the functioning of markets and the problems of investment decisions, and research on offers that RTE may propose to local government authorities (i.e. regions and me-tropolitan areas) in this context.

Summary



Contents

ChallengesResearch areas

The “Asset Management”programme

Examining structures, instrumenting themand giving them the ability to communicateDeveloping and enhancing the grid’s digital imaging capabilities Experimenting and modelling to predict the behaviour of equipment and the gridDeveloping decision-support methods andtools for the management of RTE’s equipment

2425

24

26

27

28

29


The “Grid infrastructure evolution”programme

Improving the energy efficiency of transmission linesPreparing for new-generation substationsPreparing for the arrival of HVDC meshed networks Adapting network control systems, protection devices and defence principles to new challenges and risks


The “Environment and Society”programme

Combating climate change, sustainably managing resources and preventing pollutionHarnessing societal factors interfering with our choice of solutionsContributing to biodiversity protection and services rendered by ecosystems


The “Power system functioningand operation” programme

Designing control architecture for the power grid of the future Integrating new levers of flexibility into the power system Optimising system operation Controlling system stability in a grid undergoing transformation


The “Optimal grid developmentfor the energy transition” programme

Ensuring better overall optimisation between development, maintenance and operation Strengthening R&D on system development methods and tools


The “Foresight, economicsand Smart Grids” programme

3031

30

4041

40

4849

48

22

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62

5657

56

Developing a forward-looking vision for the electric power and energy sector and questioning the economic model Proposing new market designs and new regulatory schemes Defining relevant storage technologies and economic models for RTE and the power system Understanding and supporting the energy strategy of local and regional authorities and offering them new servicesQuantifying the technical and economic value of the new flexibilities tested on the power system

323436

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505152

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II. THE R&D ROADMAP 2017-2020:CONTINUITY AND ENLARGEMENT

New transformations are underway or in the pipelineNew commitments have been made regarding the ecological transition The new role accorded to local government will have an impact on policies for the development and operation of power systems by RTEThe Internet of Things and new communication systems are opening up new perspectives for the operation and management of assetsThe design of electric power markets is being challenged The first distributed storage solutions are set to spreadArtificial intelligence and machine learning hold significant potential benefits for RTE

The transformations already identifiedin 2013 are being confirmedand are accelerating The energy transition is accelerating the development of renewable energies The deployment of digital technologies offers a fertile field of opportunities and reshuffles the cards with respect to organising system management Europe’s advances in energy are already influencing RTE’s activities and will continue to do so The role of consumers will be strengthened

16

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171819

20

11

10

6

11

13

1415

RTE, an actor deeply implicated in the energy transition RTE must also integrate the digital revolution and societal trends in terms of energy and major infrastructure RTE’s R&D needs

RTE’s R&D in the context of the accelerating energy and ecological transitions, and technological and societal transformations

6

78

6

I. CONTEXT DEVELOPMENTS SINCE THE PREVIOUS ROADMAP (2013-2016)

INTRODUCTION

GRANDES LIGNES DUPROGRAMME DE R&D DE RTE

GRANDES LIGNES DUPROGRAMME DE R&D DE RTESUR LA PÉRIODE 2017-2020 SUR LA PÉRIODE 2017-2020BROAD OUTLINES OF RTE’S

R&D PROGRAMMEBROAD OUTLINES OF RTE’S

R&D PROGRAMMEFOR 2017-2020 FOR 2017-20204

Contents


The “Asset Management”programme

Examining structures, instrumenting themand giving them the ability to communicateDeveloping and enhancing the grid’s digital imaging capabilities Experimenting and modelling to predict the behaviour of equipment and the gridDeveloping decision-support methods andtools for the management of RTE’s equipment

2425

24

26

27

28

29


The “Grid infrastructure evolution”programme

Improving the energy efficiency of transmission linesPreparing for new-generation substationsPreparing for the arrival of HVDC meshed networks Adapting network control systems, protection devices and defence principles to new challenges and risks


The “Environment and Society”programme

Combating climate change, sustainably managing resources and preventing pollutionHarnessing societal factors interfering with our choice of solutionsContributing to biodiversity protection and services rendered by ecosystems


The “Power system functioningand operation” programme

Designing control architecture for the power grid of the future Integrating new levers of flexibility into the power system Optimising system operation Controlling system stability in a grid undergoing transformation


The “Optimal grid developmentfor the energy transition” programme

Ensuring better overall optimisation between development, maintenance and operation Strengthening R&D on system development methods and tools


The “Foresight, economicsand Smart Grids” programme

3031

30

4041

40

4849

48

22

6263

62

5657

56

Developing a forward-looking vision for the electric power and energy sector and questioning the economic model Proposing new market designs and new regulatory schemes Defining relevant storage technologies and economic models for RTE and the power system Understanding and supporting the energy strategy of local and regional authorities and offering them new servicesQuantifying the technical and economic value of the new flexibilities tested on the power system

323436

38

42

44

46

505152

54

58

60

6465

66

68

70

II. THE R&D ROADMAP 2017-2020:CONTINUITY AND ENLARGEMENT

New transformations are underway or in the pipelineNew commitments have been made regarding the ecological transition The new role accorded to local government will have an impact on policies for the development and operation of power systems by RTEThe Internet of Things and new communication systems are opening up new perspectives for the operation and management of assetsThe design of electric power markets is being challenged The first distributed storage solutions are set to spreadArtificial intelligence and machine learning hold significant potential benefits for RTE

The transformations already identifiedin 2013 are being confirmedand are accelerating The energy transition is accelerating the development of renewable energies The deployment of digital technologies offers a fertile field of opportunities and reshuffles the cards with respect to organising system management Europe’s advances in energy are already influencing RTE’s activities and will continue to do so The role of consumers will be strengthened

16

16

17

171819

20

11

10

6

11

13

1415

RTE, an actor deeply implicated in the energy transition RTE must also integrate the digital revolution and societal trends in terms of energy and major infrastructure RTE’s R&D needs

RTE’s R&D in the context of the accelerating energy and ecological transitions, and technological and societal transformations

6

78

6

I. CONTEXT DEVELOPMENTS SINCE THE PREVIOUS ROADMAP (2013-2016)

INTRODUCTION

GRANDES LIGNES DUPROGRAMME DE R&D DE RTE

GRANDES LIGNES DUPROGRAMME DE R&D DE RTESUR LA PÉRIODE 2017-2020 SUR LA PÉRIODE 2017-2020BROAD OUTLINES OF RTE’S

R&D PROGRAMMEBROAD OUTLINES OF RTE’S

R&D PROGRAMMEFOR 2017-2020 FOR 2017-20205

Introduction RTE’s R&D in the context of the accelerating energy and ecological transitions, and technological and societal transformations

RTE, an actor deeply involved in the energy transition

After a start-up period, aimed particularly at objectives for 2020, the energy transition is now a key issue of public policy with respect to energy. This is true both at the European level, since the European Union has clear objectives for 2030, and at the French level, with the Energy Transition for Green Growth Act of 17 August 2015.

The energy transition has an immediate and direct impact on all of RTE’s fields of responsibility:

Development and management of an extra-high-voltage power grid

The transformation of the power mix – through the closure of coal-fired power plants, the planned closure of the Fessenheim nuclear power plant when the EPR plant in Flamanville is commissioned, the sustained development of solar and wind energy, particular-ly in the distribution network (which is leading to a reduction in load withdrawals from the transmission network), the targeted reduction in the share of nuclear power from 75% to 50% in 2025, and the development of interconnections and the single market – is bringing about a significant change in power flows.. Since the development of renewable energies must be adapted to the strengths of each region or country, this change in flows is observed both at regional level (since the installed wind energy base is essentially found in the north of the country, and the installed photovoltaic base in the south) and at European level (with marine energies in the northwest, significant wind potential in the British Isles, photovoltaic in the south, and so on).



Security of supply

The rapid evolution of the power generation base and the highly intermittent nature of renewable energies, along with the deve-lopment of active demand management and storage capacities, are raising the question on a regular basis of whether generation capacities are adequate to meet demand trends, and furthermore, whether the grid is flexible enough to convey this power at both the national level and increasingly at European level;

The generation-consumption balance in real time

RTE is responsible for the generation-consumption balance in real time. It also guarantees the stability and smooth functio-ning of the power system. But the conditions of this balance are changing radically through greater involvement of consumers in the dynamic management of the system, reduced participa-tion of renewable energies in system services, and equipment connected through power electronics and thus without mecha-nical inertia. All the rules, as well as the principles of technical operation, enabling RTE to fulfil this system security mission, must change;

Support and assistance with defining public energy policy for all stakeholders of the European energy system

At a time when the entire electric power sector, and the energy industry as a whole, are changing very rapidly, at various levels (national, European, regional and even local), RTE’s expertise on the French and European power system must be fully placed at the service of public energy policies, including its expertise on connection conditions and on the necessarily concerted evolution between increased generation and grid development, security of supply, the demand response mechanisms best able to facilitate investment in the facilities required by the energy system of the future, and the best use of existing resources. The goal is to reveal the full potential of each stakeholder of the power system, subject to an obligation to control development and operating costs for the entire system.

RTE must also integrate the digital revolution and societal trends on the issues of energy and large infrastructure projects

This energy transition, already fundamental for RTE’s activities, arrives during a period marked by two other revolutions:

-a powerful technological transformation, characterised in particular by a generalised digitisation of all equipment, and expanded telecommunication options between the components of this equipment. This is paving the way for new methods of managing the system and of monitoring the ageing of equipment, for example, but also for greater ease of access to information, both internally and externally, which will change the scope of activities of the various stakeholders;

-and societal changes, which directly affect RTE’s mission with respect to the services provided by its transmission structures, and which, more fundamentally, modify consumers relationship with energy and the role they will play in the power system, in both its development and day-to-day management. Especially since, here again, digital technologies and internet communications are radically changing the situation by making individual participation by private parties economically feasible, something that was far too costly in the past in terms of the stakes involved. And this dynamic is reinforced by the fact that the aspirations of certain stakeholders are not guided by cost-effectiveness alone, but that they are also taking personal considerations into account (contribution to comfort, a feeling of involvement in the fight against climate change) or collective considerations (local employment, image, etc.).

These three concomitant developments are thus leading to the emergence of new opportunities, for both RTE’s internal activi-ties and its positioning vis-à-vis its different external stakeholders, beginning with its customers. They are also leading to a questio-ning of RTE’s practices and a growing awareness of the need to change them rapidly.

Introduction RTE’s R&D in the context of the accelerating energy and ecological transitions, and technological and societal transformations



RTE’s R&D needs

RTE’s R&D activities have always been oriented towards improving performance and securing its technical choices, including: increasing the transmission capacity of cables, decrea-sing construction costs for underground lines, qualifying new technologies to master their impacts before deploying them on an industrial scale, formulating advanced simulation and optimi-sation tools to develop and manage the network by ensuring its operational security, optimising the use of infrastructure via demand response mechanisms, and so on.

However, in the face of the three revolutions underway – energy transition, digital transformation and societal changes –, the fun-damentals of the current organisation of the power system are being questioned, particularly the technical and structural fun-damentals due to the effect of the energy transition and new network equipment, but also the organisational fundamentals, due to the questioning of decision-making processes as a result of the digitisation and availability of new information on new time scales.

Faced with so many challenges, RTE’s R&D teams must develop new fields of investigation by studying how RTE’s activities can evolve to take advantage of new technical possibilities without losing sight of the required sobriety of means and short reaction time that must accompany these evolutions, but also by adapting to the changing context of the power system as a whole.

This work of broadening and deepening the scope of R&D was initiated when the first R&D roadmap was drawn up for the 2013-2016 period:

- the energy transition context had led to the launch of substantive research activities to prepare for the grids of the future that must support the massive integration of renewable energies, including developing system flexibility to manage intermittence, moving from a uniform security policy to an equitable policy based on needs, developing new ways of managing the generation-consumption balance without the benefit of the inertia of conventional power plants, but with power electronics, etc.

-historic activities, such as the study and validation of new system equipment technologies, had also been strengthened, while assuming a long-term positioning to take full account of the impact of the difficulties of operating direct current systems or deploying power electronics on a wide scale.

Several activities were also launched or shifted in emphasis:

-a research programme to develop new asset management methods, based on collecting more individualised information on all grid system equipment and processing it via optimisation algorithms;

-an Environment programme, which continues to explore all RTE’s environmental impacts, and provide solutions aimed at minimising negative impacts and enhancing positive aspects, such as the development of grid system right-or-ways favourable to biodiversity;

-a Smart Grids programme, which through participation in numerous demonstrators, made it possible to clearly perceive new development models for locally meshed power systems, and to develop the “Smart Grids” roadmap as part of the eponymous plan for a new industrial France. This programme was supplemented by a “Smart Substation” project consisting in totally digitising the control systems of several substations in an area with a high level of wind power development and identifying all the functionalities achievable on this basis;

- the steering, coordination and facilitation of experts working in a pre-standardisation capacity (mainly the International Council on Large Electric Systems - CIGRE) and in a standardisation capacity (the International Electrotechnical Commission - IEC) and the European Committee for Standardisation in Electronics and Electrical Engineering (CENELEC)), notably by drafting standardisation strategy memoranda over a three- to five-year time horizon. This organisation became necessary due to a change in standardisation work which was much more overarching than in the past, with a much more forward-looking vision (normative future solution documents are now being published, which was not the case previously).

It was therefore on the basis of this R&D situation, characterised by the launch of significant initiatives, in a continually and rapidly evolving context, that the new R&D roadmap for the years 2017-2020 was drawn up.



Various transformations, already identified during the drafting of the R&D programme for the 2013-2016 period, have acce-lerated significantly in recent years:

- the massive shift of modes of power generation to renewable energies and decentralised generation;

-an energy transition marked by a stronger political will, underpinned by increasingly alarming scientific findings with respect to the urgency of climate action at both European and national level, resulting in a new legislative and regulatory framework;

-stronger integration of the European power market, with the Energy Union launched by the European Commission in 2015.

In addition to these developments, fresh changes have appeared on the scene or are emerging:

- the increasing importance given to local and regional government, resulting from legislative changes (e.g. the so-called MAPTAM Act on Modernising Local Government and Strengthening Metropolitan Areas of 27 January 2014), technological changes (e.g. smart grids) and societal changes (e.g. “eat local” initiatives);

- the extension of the digital revolution to the energy sector (Internet of Things, big data, artificial intelligence, etc.);

-considerable uncertainty about the viability and sustainability of the energy sector’s current economic model, with several sector players experiencing great difficulties throughout Europe;

- the emergence of technologically mature storage solutions with no restrictions on location;

- the increasing interfaces between the various energy networks and the need to develop multi-fluid and/or multi-energy strategies;

- the ecological transition which involves other ways of developing, maintaining and operating energy networks;

-finally, the frequency of extreme events, and more generally, threats relative to climate change, computer bugs and viruses, cyber-security and terrorism.

Profound technological, economic and societal transformations are thus underway. They will have an impact on power consump-tion in France, power generation facilities, the involvement of consumers and, ultimately, on all of RTE’s business segments, and even on RTE’s role. The R&D programme for 2017-2020 is fully in keeping with this dynamic of change, thus giving RTE the means to play a leading role in the development of the power transmis-sion grid in Europe.

Context developmentssince the previous roadmap(2013-2016)

I.



The transformations already identified in 2013 are being confirmed and are accelerating

The energy transition is accelerating the development of renewable energies

The energy transition law sets precise targets for the development of renewable energies

The energy transition, still in its infancy in 2013 at the French level, is now in its implementation phase, with precise and quantified targets voted under the Energy Transition for Green Growth Act of 2015 (LTECV):

- reduction of France’s energy bill (70 billion euros of imports in 2014);

- the fight against greenhouse gas emissions, notably by:

cutting the country’s total energy consumption in half between now and 20501 ;

reducing energy from fossil sources2 by 30% by the year 20302 ; increasing the share of renewable energies in gross final energy

consumption to 23% in 2020 and to 32% by the year 2030. To achieve this target, renewable energies must account for 40% of power gene-ration in 2030;

reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 20303 ;

- reducing the share of nuclear in the electricity mix to 50% by 2025.

The development of renewable energies is a challenge for RTE

The development of renewable energies in Europe will be the primary driver of the development of the electric power system by 20304. The 2015 edition of RTE’s ten-year plan states that over 10 billion euros will be invested over the next 10 years to adapt the French transmission system to changes in the power mix. According to scenarios, the penetration rate for renewable energies in 2030 will range between 40% and 60% and the European long-term target remains unchanged, culminating in a low-carbon economy in Europe by the year 2050.

FIRST CHALLENGE: THE VARIABLE NATURE OF RENEWABLE ENERGIES

Due to their variable nature, the integration of renewable energies into the power grid is a real challenge for RTE, with respect to both infrastructure management and the control of energy flows in real time.

As such, in addition to methods and tools for forecasting re-newables generation, various levers of flexibility are gradually emerging, introduced by market parties and by new power system infrastructure components and control systems, which will facilitate adaptation to this variability. Among these levers, we could cite:

- the use of the large-scale grid as a smoothing mechanism (expansion in large systems);

-dynamic consumption management;

-optimal grid use, by operating grids more closely to their limits and by taking minimal preventive margins through full use of all grid control variables (topology, management of transmission flows and voltage, etc.);

- the implementation of power storage strategies;

-a pooling of different energy systems.

A number of challenges relating to the integration of these various levers, which are not mutually exclusive, will arise in the near future for the transmission system operator, notably in defining modalities for their prioritisation and activation.

1 Reduction of final energy consumption by 50% in 2050 compared to the reference year 2012

2 Reduction of energy from fossil sources by 30% in 2030 compared to the reference year 2012

3 Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 40% between 1990 and 2030

4 ENTSO-E, “Ten-Year Network Development Plan 2016”

Context developmentssince the previous roadmap(2013-2016)

I.



SECOND CHALLENGE: THE DECENTRALISED NATURE OF RENEWABLE ENERGIES

Renewable energies (with the exception of offshore wind) are primarily integrated into the grid system in a decentralised way: microgeneration facilities will become widespread, sometimes superimposed on consumption sites (particularly for photovol-taic generation). Power distribution systems are increasingly bidi-rectional, and this trend will accelerate in the future. This raises the question of the optimal coordination of local constraints and global balances that allow for expansion, especially since the French power system is historically one of the most centralised, and since the 50% reduction target for the share of nuclear in 2025 could radically change the situation.

At the same time, there are significant renewable energy reserves in Europe that are not equally distributed and are often located far from consumption centres (marine energies of course, but also land-based wind farms). The question of the necessary adaptation of the wide-area transmission system in Europe to this new situation is therefore raised in a most pressing manner, as evidenced by the various ten-year plans of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) (the TYNDPs5), and also more long-term, the e-Highways 2050 research project6.

THIRD CHALLENGE: FUNCTIONING OF THE POWER SYSTEM

Renewables do not convert mechanical energy to electric energy in the same way as conventional power plants, where the rotation of alternators creates the mains power frequency. They are connected to the grid via power electronics, which offers numerous balancing options, but is modifying the basics of power system operation that have been in place for a century.

This change, together with the prospect of power mixes comprised massively of renewables, is leading to three funda-mental lines of questioning:

- the question of maintaining frequency, of a new primary and secondary regulation design, and ultimately perhaps, of also redefining the interpretation of frequency as a signal reflecting the condition of power systems;

- the question of the consistency, interaction, and optimal functioning between all components of the power electronics equipment integrated into a large-scale system (the dynamic phenomena of collapse of frequency, voltage, and oscillation have long been studied in detail for “conventional” systems). Many years of study will be required to ensure the proper functioning of a system based on the widespread adoption of this new equipment, both for the renewable energies and HVDC links, and for equipment connected to the grid on the consumer’s premises. We will also need to define a path that will ensure a smooth and dependable transition from a “conventional” system to a “100 % power electronics” system;

- the very basis for developing the power transmission system is also being called into question since the current practice is to value these investments against savings in operating costs at the generation stage. What becomes of this logic in a system based on renewables having zero marginal costs and project development times much shorter than those of transmission structures?

5 Ten-Year Network Development Plan

6 A project aimed at defining the European grid needed for the management of the power system

in various forward-looking scenarios for 2050, by facilitating cross-border power scheduling between European countries



The deployment of digital technologies offers a fertile field of opportunities and reshuffles the cards with respect to organising system management

Currently, monitoring and control of the power system is based on three superimposed layers: the physical layer comprising the equipment, the logical layer supporting system optimisation and the virtual layer enabling interaction between RTE and market parties.

This three-layer model, managed, for now, relatively independent-ly in a pairwise manner, is being called into question by several dynamics:

- the integration of digital elements in the physical layers with behaviours linked to the logical layer (control algorithms) rather than to physical laws, and which can be controlled by other stakeholders than the system operator;

-a greater uncertainty on the nature and sustainability of the system’s development needs, which may lead to certain operating options being preferred over others, or to investment in flexibility solutions rather than in lines;

-a desire for more dynamic management of distribution systems, or for balances at a regional level, which could lead to some data being used for both the market layer and the logical layer, even at a regional level.

These dynamics imply thinking about system management in an overarching manner among RTE’s various activities (develop-ment, maintenance, operation), and defining new ways of coor-dinating them.

Indeed, the deployment of digital technologies offers some re-markable options to meet the challenges of the power system of the future, but runs up against this layered model, and the pyramid of “centralised intelligence vs. a distributed physical network” may become obsolete.

Interactions between the logical and physical layers are becoming more important, offering some interesting opportunities:

-stronger hybridisation of equipment and hardware with information technologies (tying in the physical layer with the digital layer), thus enabling the deployment of intelligence locally and/or automated management of the system’s logical layer (i.e. the Industry 4.0 concept);

-stronger interactions between the virtual layer and the physical layer, facilitating the control of physical uses at minimal cost directly from the virtual layer (e.g. in a market framework).

These changes must be made while guaranteeing the robustness of the service offered by RTE, regardless of the contingencies as-sociated or concomitant with this new complexity, in particular by identifying risks of supply disruptions for the precious metals and scarce resources required for these technological advances.

Digital technologies can therefore provide services to the various stakeholders, thus raising the question of prioritising these services and sharing the value created among stakeholders.

Market softwarevirtual layer

Logical layer

Physical layer

MARKET CONSIDERATIONS

SYSTEM OPTIMISATION

EQUIPMENT OPTIMISATION

PHYSICALLAYER

LOGICALLAYER

Past Future

PHYSICALLAYER

DIGITALLAYER

LOGICALLAYER

Optimisation

Stability /Security

PHYSICALLAYER



Europe’s advances in energy are already influencing RTE’s activities and will continue to do so

Following the European Council meeting of 23 and 24 October 2014, new targets were set for the year 2030, confirming the European Union’s strategic commitment to play a role in the energy transition beyond 2020:

- reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 40% compared to 1990 levels;

- increase in the share of renewable energies to reach at least 27% of final energy by the year 2030;

-an improvement in energy efficiency of at least 27%7.

But primarily, the European Commission set, as one of its priori-ties, the creation of an Energy Union, and published three papers on 25 February 2015, specifying its content:

-five priorities were set: energy security, an integrated energy market, energy efficiency, decarbonisation of the economy, and research, innovation and competitiveness;

-a series of 15 action plans was launched, including one on research and innovation;

- the European R&D management tool was updated, with a more integrated vision (i.e. the «Integrated SET Plan»).

Among the actions envisaged to strengthen the integrated energy market and security of supply, the European Commission aimed to strengthen collaboration and coordination between transmission system operators (TSOs). According to documents published in late 2015, one of the links of this plan8 could be the Regional Operational Centres - ROC), which would coordinate system steering centrally over a group of countries (i.e. a region in the European sense) and entrust ENTSO-E with defining system development scenarios in a very top-down European approach.

Even though the scheme finally proposed by the European Commission will not be known until the end of 2016, the stren-gthening of inter-TSO cooperation towards shared decision-ma-king is a fundamental trend to which RTE and its R&D have already widely contributed, notably through market coupling, the launch of coordination centres (CORESO for RTE), the

calculation of coordinated capacities of the flow-based type9 and various European research projects involving a number of European TSOs.

RTE’s R&D plays a key role in this regard by proposing concepts and supplying the tools needed to qualify them (i.e. a prototy-ping process), as well as by providing coordination centres with some of the innovative industrial tools and services they need.

In addition to operating the system, this stronger coordination of decision-making must be based on a shared vision among TSOs of the future development of the European power system and its technical and economic fundamentals. RTE must therefore prepare for increased collaboration, or even greater centralisa-tion, in the performance of suitability and development studies for the transmission system. Underlying this trend, the issue of the study methods and software tools that will be used is raised. The R&D roadmap already encompasses works aimed at taking better account of the European dimension in the methods and tools deployed by TSOs (e.g. the Adequacy Forecast Report). Furthermore, several initiatives have been initiated with partner TSOs aimed at implementing common pilot studies in a bilateral or even multilateral framework: the e-Highway 2050 European project is a successful example of this approach. Neverthe-less, the dissemination of tools will have to be strengthened in the future, with the strategic aim of converging practices and positions with a view to building a credible European-wide coor-dinated study function among TSOs.

7 Compared to future energy consumption scenarios, on the basis of current criteria.

8 Options for future European Electricity System Operation, European Commission, December 2015.

9 Market coupling based on flows: a new model of calculating and allocating power capacities for cross-border schedules available for interconnec-tions between France, Benelux and Germany, used to optimise cross-border scheduling and facilitate the integration of renewable energies



The role of consumers will be strengthened

European and French authorities have only recently expressed their desire to place consumers at the centre of future power system developments. This positioning is the result of a combi-nation of factors:

-at European level, the liberalisation of the electric power sector was initially aimed at reducing costs for end users. But the reality of economic fundamentals – rising commodity prices in the early 2000s, particularly for energy, investment in new energy transition technologies, and fragmentation of the value chain – eroded this promise. The European Commission is now keen to show European citizens the benefits of a European energy policy. It therefore wishes to place them at the centre (via a consumer-centric approach) of future developments.

This is, in reality, a political ambition. As such, the speech delivered by Dominique Ristori, Director-General for Energy of the European Commission, at ENTSO-E’s 2015 General Assembly is very enlightening: in addition to the technical reasons in favour of strengthening the position of consumers (including reinforcement of flexibility), the European Commission wishes to build on the successes of European energy policy to restore the European dream;

- in France, successive legislative and regulatory developments in the energy sector are aimed at strengthening the position of consumers (end users or large industrial customers), either in terms of rights to available information, or with respect to new opportunities to participate in the balancing of the power system (e.g. interruptibility, the balancing mechanism or the energy market). Firstly, these developments reflect the will of the French public authorities to maintain the competitiveness of power-intensive national industries, challenged by other European countries – led by Germany –, and secondly, to strengthen the involvement of French consumers, who are increasingly concerned about energy issues;

- the development of smart meters and connected objects is enabling consumers to actively participate in residential energy management. In addition to meters, the proliferation of connected objects is opening up new horizons with respect to managing consumption, with very low marginal costs;

-more and more consumers are playing an active role in the power system. Over and above the still strong growth of “own-consumption” solutions and the growing number of “active consumers”, potential new ways of organising the sector are now emerging, and energy exchanges at an increasingly local level are now envisaged by some. In these new organisational schemes, with either local energy markets, or new forms of peer-to-peer energy trading, the transmission system operator is no longer the only physical trading partner. What role will RTE play in this new landscape?



New transformations are underway or in the pipeline

Beyond the confirmed or even accelerating trends already identified in 2013, the context in which RTE currently finds itself is marked by new disruptive elements:

- the ecological transition, which is an extension of the energy transition;

- the new role accorded to local government authorities in French legislation;

- the spread of the Internet of Things, particularly its development in industry (Industrial IoT);

- the questioning of power market models beyond the issue of securing peak demand;

- the reduced costs of storage solutions, increasing the likelihood of their rapid development;

- the widespread development of electric vehicles and charging stations;

-and finally, in terms of technical and scientific advances, techniques for using massive quantities of data, which are now mature and fully utilisable. The substantial progress achieved in the fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning is also noteworthy; RTE could find important fields of application for these technologies in the field of system operation, in particular..

New commitments have been made regarding the ecological transition

The energy transition is part of a more global movement encom-passing the ecological transition and environmental protection:

-adapting to and combating climate change;

- respect for biodiversity;

-stronger restrictions with regard to reducing pollutant emissions (nitrogen oxides, particulate emissions, etc.)

-urban planning schemes more concerned about spatial organisation and landscape aesthetics;

- the challenges of reducing pressures on raw material resources and waste recovery, including the waste plan for 2014-2020 and the transition to a circular economy (the Energy Transition for Green Growth Act, the European Ecodesign Directive, etc.).

By way of example, the Energy Transition for Green Growth Act targeted a 50% reduction in non-recyclable manufactured products placed on the market by the year 2020. Directive 2009/125/EC (the “Ecodesign Directive”) covers products related to the energy sector with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing energy efficiency and requiring life cycle analysis (at all stages of a product’s life) to improve security of supply and reduce dependence on imports.



The new role accorded to local government will have an impact on policies for the development and operation of power systems by RTE

While energy policy is decided at the national or European level, today local and regional authorities are increasingly involved in energy issues. They are major players of innovation country-wide and, as licensing authorities, are deploying smart grids and smart cities.

This trend was recently institutionalised: the MAPTAM Act10 and the Energy Transition Act have clarified the role of local and regional authorities with respect to energy, with the emergence of the notion of a “lead authority” capable of federating and pooling the policies and actions of various local and regional government bodies with respect to sustainable development at local and regional level, and protection of biodiversity, climate, air quality and energy.

This is the case, in particular, for the French Regions, which coor-dinate energy efficiency initiatives, for example, notably through the Regional climate, air and energy programmes (SRCAE), and promote the establishment of local and regional platforms for energy renovation.

In addition, the notion of metropolitan area was reframed by the MAPTAM Act through the creation of twelve metropolitan areas which constitute a new step in the implementation of energy policies, since they are endowed with greater responsibilities, notably with regard to the generation of renewable energies, housing energy renovation and the like.

Finally, the Energy Transition for Green Growth Act clarifies options for local and regional government authorities to engage in energy transition investments. Primarily, it introduces two new provisions:

- the possibility for local or regional authorities to participate in the capital of joint-stock companies that produce renewable energies;

- the possibility for these same companies to open their capital to private citizens.

This decentralisation of energy policy is fostering a re-examina-tion of relations between RTE and local and regional authorities. The latter, engaged in a global energy optimisation approach, will act as the driving force behind multi-energy integration (electri-city, gas, heat, and occasionally hydrogen). RTE must assuredly integrate these new dimensions, initially in its development policies and, subsequently, in its operations.

The Internet of Things and new communication systems are opening up new perspectives with respect to operating and managing assets

In general, we are witnessing a profound transformation of the entire industrial sector through process digitisation and equipment connectivity (i.e. the “Industry 4.0” concept).

-Thanks to the Internet of Things, equipment previously monitored only marginally, may now be monitored more closely. The service life of equipment may be better managed, and maintenance managed more dynamically and more appropriately (with anticipation of failures via early damage detection).

-Through the options now available for exploiting massive data sources (i.e. Big Data) and new visualisation systems, fields of activity, processes and data hitherto mostly processed in silos, due to their heterogeneity, can now be processed as a whole. Equipment can be operated more closely to its “actual» limits through finer monitoring and control, including equipment not directly connected to the transmission grid.

For the energy sector, this opens up significant new perspectives for the operation and management of assets.

One challenge is to provide platforms suitable for seizing new op-portunities and managing the new challenges associated with the Internet of Things, in the context of reasonable use.

10 Law on modernising local government and strengthening metropolitan areas of 27 January 2014.



The design of electricity markets is being challenged

The design of the electric power markets created in the late 1990s is being increasingly questioned.

In terms of the functioning of the short-term market, there is little to criticise and the latest improvements are on the right track, including approximation of real time by the development of intraday coupling, reduction of scheduling time intervals, inte-gration of system services, streamlining of the European market by integrating the management of interconnection capacities in contracts, etc.

But other weaknesses appear to be structural, such as the dif-ficulty in using the market to generate a return on large capi-tal-intensive investments, and especially, to deduce signals on investment needs.

The problems of remunerating peak load facilities have long been a subject of debate and continue to give rise to certain draft European directives: would uncapping market prices be enough to motivate investors remunerated on infrequent price peaks and avoid the deployment of security of mechanisms in various European countries (capacity mechanisms, strategic reserves, etc.)?

But today, the introduction of significant volumes of renewables creates, on the one hand, a situation of overall overcapacity in energy and, on the other hand, a downward pressure on market prices since their marginal cost is zero. It is still difficult to say whether this problem is structural or cyclical, but the impact on major European energy groups is such that TSOs, security of supply managers, neutral stakeholders with expertise and a global view of the entire system, and power exchange managers, must study the projected functioning of the markets in detail in coming years and, where necessary, propose mechanisms to better remunerate players directly via the markets.

The situation could deteriorate in the future for two main reasons:

-wholesale prices are too low to stimulate the investment needed to replace ageing plants and decarbonise the sector. Moreover, the cost of capital is all the more significant in that the power sector is now regarded as risky, leading in the long term to higher prices for consumers and a decline in competitiveness for European industries.

-With renewable energies increasingly subsidised off-market, retail prices will continue to rise as wholesale prices decline. Less profitable semi-baseload electricity will increasingly cause the temporary closure or decommissioning of power plants. But these decisions will not have the effect of raising market prices.

Engie’s announcement of €4.6 billion in net losses in late February 2016, just two years after losing €9.7 billion, as well as the decision of the French government in March 2016 to recapi-talise EDF, which was €37.4 billion in debt, testify to the persis-tence of these difficulties.

This problem of the truncated valuation of power system assets in relation to services rendered affects more than generation fa-cilities: the valuation of interconnection projects, for example, is lower in the latest estimates than in the past, in view of an-ticipated market prices pulled down by renewables, financed off-market. This also applies to other levers used by the power system, including dynamic demand management and storage.

These problems now appear sustainable and structural. They call for substantive work to review market models (taking into account capacity remuneration in one way or another) and for achieving substantial economies on the power system, in order to continue to ensure operational security in the context of a power mix largely comprised of renewables.



The first distributed storage solutions are set to spread

Advanced storage technologies, including electrochemical storage (i.e. batteries), are technically capable of meeting some of the needs arising from the energy transition:

- the development of the flexibility needed to balance overall intraday supply and demand so as to be able to store the energy generated by the wind and the sun, and destock it when it is consumed;

- the development of local flexibility, in order to avoid the intermittent network congestion induced by the increasing variability of flows, especially since conventional solutions of the line reinforcement type are made more complex by the context of increasing uncertainty as to the evolution and distribution of power injections and load withdrawals on the network;

- the evolution of system services (e.g. faster primary frequency regulation with decreased inertia);

- the creation of new system services (e.g. electronic synthesis of the frequency signal required for the synchronisation of networks with a large proportion of renewables).

It should be noted that battery storage can respond to local flexibi-lity services, which is not the case for hydroelectric pumped storage (HEPS) generation units or compressed air energy storage (CAES) technologies, because their location is only marginally restricted by geography or geology. Moreover, electrochemical storage costs are falling rapidly, especially with lithium-ion technology (down 15% per year), which is benefitting from the development of the electric vehicle industry.

Until recently, with the exception of HEPS, other solutions were too costly, with short lifetimes, high sensitivity to external parameters (e.g. temperature), and moderate yields. But this observation may no longer be pertinent in a few years. Some transmission system operators already use these technologies (e.g. PJM11, NG).

Indeed, a major research and development effort is currently underway to improve the characteristics of storage systems, including batteries.

-With a capacity four times greater than lead batteries for the same weight and less sensitivity to external parameters, lithium-ion batteries are enjoying huge success. They are viewed in the “short term” (i.e. through the year 2020) as the most robust power storage solution.

- For now, their price is still high. But prospects for large-scale production and the need to use them to democratise electric vehicles could lead to drastic cost reductions in coming years.

-There are dozens of innovative players in the field of battery technologies, in terms of both development and deployment (e.g. Alevo, Enphase Energy, BMZ, Tesla and many others).

Thus, as the technical and economic relevance of the storage is improved and verified, RTE must prepare for the gradual integra-tion of storage into the power system, both for needs that fall within the regulated sphere (e.g. intermittent network conges-tion depending on network topology, voltage settings, etc.) and for needs that fall within the competitive sphere (e.g. market arbitrage, global supply-demand balance). Its wide-scale disse-mination could dramatically destabilise the power sector’s orga-nisation and economic model. As the development of storage depends heavily on stacking the values of various services, the essential question is prioritising these services and sharing their value between the various players.

Its wide-scale dissemination could dramatically destabilise the power sector’s organisation and economic model.

11 PJM: Pennsylvania – New Jersey – Maryland, an independent system operator (ISO) on the east coast of the U.S.



Artificial intelligence and machine learning hold significant potential benefits for RTE

Considerable progress has been made in the field of artificial intelligence (machine learning) since 2012, with Deepmind’s AlphaGo program beating an expert Go player for the first time, something that was long considered impossible.

Ultimately, artificial intelligence could find many applications in RTE’s business segments, with significant potential benefits. These techniques offer a new approach to managing the clearly increasing complexity of power systems.

The massive integration of means of generation relying on smaller, more decentralised renewable energy generation facili-ties, interfaced with the grid via power electronics, is leading to more distributed intelligence. More than ever, the power system is becoming a system of systems. The goal is to increasingly manage a large number of agents and devices, each having a certain amount of autonomy. This issue has ramifications far beyond the now conventional issue of managing the intermitten-cy of renewables.

More concretely, these techniques can be implemented to fa-cilitate the operation of the power system in this context of in-creasing complexity. The conventional approaches used by RTE consist in modelling the power system using the electromagnetic laws of physics and in using simulation and optimisation tech-niques to provide operators with decision-support tools.

The machine learning-based approach consists initially in imitating the decisions of operators (learning by imitation, without “com-prehension”). In this first phase, a simulation-based approach is implemented to relieve operators of simple, repetitive tasks so that they can concentrate on problem situations and areas.

The next phase, which is even more ambitious, would be to invent “new” decisions, using a reinforcement-based learning technique. This method consists in learning by simulating the power system to improve on the decisions suggested by the initial imitation phase. This type of technique, whereby the program is improved by playing against itself, is used by AlphaGo. These approaches will be tested as part of the APOGEE project, aimed at developing a hypervision environment for RTE’s system operating centres.

RTE is already using these methods to “simplify” overly complex modelling with examples to define “simple” rules ensuring system security (the iTesla project). This approach needs to be generalised, drawing on recent advances.

In another field, the issue of overall system optimisation, taking into account all time horizons (development, maintenance and operation), necessarily requires “approximations”. Optimising maintenance requires simulation of system operation. Machine learning can facilitate the task of finding a simplified model of system operation, suitable for this optimisation; the same principle applies between development and maintenance/operation. The GARPUR project aims to clarify these issues.

Optimising maintenance is a very important issue for RTE. Initially, recent data and image analysis techniques (i.e. data mining and big data) are used to extract relevant information. Artificial intel-ligence or machine learning are then used to suggest “optimal” decisions for the use of this information. The principle is based on discovering or estimating the intensity of links between ma-gnitudes (phenomena). There is a key question at the heart of this issue: are these links fortuitous correlations or causal rela-tionships? RTE will interact with the best academic teams to promote progress in this area and benefit from the most recent advances.

These themes readily lend themselves to the organisation of open competitions to accelerate the use and development of these types of method. The result is a new, innovative way of conducting research.



Due to the broader context of which they are a part, RTE’s R&D efforts for the 2017-2020 period have been organised into three main orientations:

Optimal use of completed works

Works completed between 2013 and 2016 under the first roadmap will be pursued (particularly in the areas of asset ma-nagement, new system operating tools and upgrading of grid infrastructure), to enable RTE’s operating segments to meet the challenges posed by the ageing of the existing grid and by the acceleration of transformations;

Reinforcement of research activities already initiated to assess their impact on the organisation of RTE’s business segments

During the 2013-2016 period, the R&D teams generally targeted research activities specific to each business segment. Under the 2017-2020 roadmap, the R&D teams will investigate more ove-rarching issues relevant to the overall evolution of RTE’s business segments:

- the design of grid control architecture;

-a thorough review of the method for rethinking future investments to achieve an optimal balance between development, engineering and operation;

-management of the massive quantities of data produced by monitoring grid assets (level of aggregation, use, and link with operation);

-ecodesign at differing time scales (life-cycle analysis of equipment) so that the transmission grid can provide an appropriate response to the profound changes affecting the environment and society (e.g. resource availability, energy costs, climate change, the questioning of consumption patterns , the growing need to promote a circular economy, etc).

The R&D roadmap 2017-2020: continuity and enlargement

II.



Optimal grid developmentfor the energy transition

Grid infrastructureevolution

Power system functioningand operation

Foresight, economicsand Smart Grids

Asset Management

Environmentand Society

PROGRAMME

PROGRAMME

PROGRAMMEPROGRAMME

PROGRAMME

PROGRAMME

The launch of new research topics to gain a better understanding of RTE’s missions in an increasingly complex environment

With respect to their work over the 2017-2020 period, the R&D teams will launch a number of new research projects:

- the new emphasis on local and regional authorities and the growing interaction with other stakeholders of the energy system;

- prospective and economic studies to make RTE a proactive source of proposals on the role, economics and regulation of the power system for the next twenty years.

In this context, R&D efforts between 2017 and 2020 will be struc-tured around six research programmes, comprising 22 research areas.



Unlike many European transmission system operators, RTE is the owner of its transmission grid infrastructure and takes direct responsibility for its development, maintenance and operation. The scale of these industrial assets – including transmission structures and substations with voltage of over 50 kV – is considerable: 100,000 km of overhead lines, nearly 3,000 substations and tens of thousands of pieces of equipment, representing a capital of more than 13 billions of euros.

This vast scale represents both a challenge and an asset.

It represents a challenge, because renewing the transmission grid involves a major electrification phase, followed by an interconnection phase throughout France, and will undoubtedly require successive waves of investment difficulties unless we learn to integrate maintenance into our assessment of ageing and operations into our management strategies.

It represents an asset, because coordinating the operation, maintenance and development of the transmission grid through an integrated management system facilitates the search for a global optimum for the community, engaged with an increasingly volatile context. In addition to economic efficiency, reliability and energy transmission quality, this optimum must take into account the safety of employees and third parties close to our facilities and a reduction in environmental footprint.

The “Asset Management” programme is aimed at developing and identifying scientific and technical advances, and making them available to RTE for the purpose of:

-Anticipating the waves of structural renewal, which will be quite substantial between now and 2030, while developing alternative solutions to deal with the investment challenges

- Improving the performance and working conditions of RTE’s business segments in managing transmission structures

Challenges

Aerial platform for substation maintenance



PROGRAMME Asset Management PROGRAMME Asset Management

24

PROGRAMME

Asset Management

Examining structures, instrumenting them and giving them the ability to communicate

Developing and enhancing the grid’s digital imagery

Experimenting and modelling to predict the behaviour of equipment and the grid

Developing decision-support methods and tools for the managementof RTE’s assets

Research areas




25

Research area EXAMINING ELECTRICAL FACILITIES, INSTRUMENTING THEM AND MAKING THEM COMMUNICATING

Monitoring/diagnosing the condition of structures is the center-piece of asset management.

The purpose is to:

-Estimate operating margins more accurately, in time lapse close to real time;

-Schedule conditional and predictive maintenance operations;

-Specify the position of structures on the ageing curve, and adjust replacement policies;

-Or simply avoid any travel needed to check gauge levels.

The aim is to make optimal use of rapidly evolving remote data acquisition, assessment and transmission technologies in order to implement structures with innovative sensor systems, providing our operational teams advanced tools that will let them be able to diagnose the equipment health.

This research area also drives and feeds into RTE’s strategy with respect to monitoring, the industrial Internet and urbanisation of information exchange services.

FAULTPOSITION

B = f(x)

0-x +x

Locating an electric fault on a submarine cable.




26

Research area DEVELOPING AND ENHANCING THE GRID’S DIGITAL IMAGING CAPABILITIES

The term digital imaging refers to the association of an value with each point of an object at a given resolution. This applies not only to photos, but also to LIDAR surveys1, multispectral imaging, etc.

Experiments conducted in recent years on massive data acquisition on structures and acquisition devices (drones, airborne imaging) make us very optimistic about the prospects opened up by these technologies.

In this area, three major fields are being explored:

-Automatic image processing, such as fault recognition or measuring changes between images acquired at different times. This type of processing will become increasingly crucial as the mass of information acquired grows.

-Optimisation of data acquisition and data modelling capabilities, by far the most costly link in this value chain.

-The introduction of virtual and augmented reality techniques at RTE, is likely to significantly improve the performance and working conditions of operational teams, especially in maintenance.

1 Acronym of “Light detection and ranging”: remote laser sensing, a distance measurement technique based on analysing the properties of a light beam sent back to its transmitter.




27

Scheduling equipment replacement on the basis of a theore-tical lifetime leads to potential difficulties for the successive waves of investment needed in grid construction. The ability to anticipate or, preferably, delay these operations requires a better knowledge of the equipment’s life expectancy, in view of its history and individual environment (actuation frequency, humidity, operating voltage, etc.). This is the purpose of this research area.

The approach to this knowledge is based complementarily on a set of experimental techniques (trials, accelerated ageing, study of samples taken from the grid) and digital techniques (simula-tion, statistical correlation analysis and survival models).

Conversely, knowledge of the equipments’ degradation mecha-nisms and weaknesses can also improve its design, with respect to its specification, standardisation or its life cycle analysis and ecodesign.

Research area EXPERIMENTING AND MODELLING TO PREDICT THE BEHAVIOUR OF EQUIPMENT AND THE GRID

Failure analysis of a conductive strand.

Mathematical modelling of an electrical conductor and its support bracket.




28

“Data analytics” tools providing operational planning functions for maintenance are gradually reaching a certain level of maturity. But so far there are no support tools for determining asset management strategies, dealing with more general issues, such as: Should resources dedicated to maintenance be reduced or increased? Is scheduled outage duration, which determines many operating modes, really a risk factor in operation? How to arbitrate between technical policies or between maintenance and replacement?

This research area is focused on providing tools to compare different strategies and weigh the influence of various hypotheses. Fostering dialogue in this way encourages the emergence of choices shared between the different stakeholders involved, such as operational branch, experts, management, or even the regulator.

Moreover, R&D strives to share RTE’s methodological choices by supporting the dissemination of tools and contributing to standard setting activity.

DEVELOPING DECISION-SUPPORT METHODS AND TOOLS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF RTE’S EQUIPMENT

Research area

MONA PROJECT (Management and Optimisation of Network Assets)

Based on a partnership with the Lyon-based startup The Cosmo Company, the aim of the MONA projectis to seek out robust and globally optimal asset management strategies through complex systems modelling and simulation.




29

Power grid infrastructure must be adapted to fit the context of today’s global transformations (i.e. the energy, digital and envi-ronmental transitions). Through adaptation, it can respond to the resulting evolutions of the power system:

-a single efficient power market;

-a power mix that can vary significantly depending on the most probable economic scenarios;

-energy sobriety with increasingly flexible consumption.

In this context, the “Grid infrastructure evolution” programme is thus initially intended to further develop high and extra-high voltage (HV and EHV) technologies and power system infrastruc-ture components, and subsequently, to bring these technolo-gies to maturity by means of simulation, models, and European projects and systems installed in virtual or real environments as part of an RTE project or a consortium. Ultimately, the objective is to integrate all or part of these works into the technical speci-fications for RTE’s future industrial deployments.

This programme’s scope of application includes:

-power transmission structures: overhead, underground and submarine lines, and their constituent parts (conductors and insulators, as well as supports, accessories and materials);

-substations: overhead, gas-insulated and subsea substations, from the standpoint of their structures and constituent elements (i.e. circuit breakers, isolators, transformers, lightening arresters, etc. and their integrated control and supervision systems);

-direct current grid technologies: point-to-point, interoperating multi-terminal system, mesh networking (modelling, operation);

-protection devices, control systems and more generally, network defence principles (wide area system integrity protection schemes.

The motivating criteria for this research programme are as follows: increase energy efficiency (e.g. reduce power losses due to the Joule effect or corona effect) in all new components, increase the flexibility of transmission flow in structures, increase the generation of digital information by equipment and its dis-tribution to various processing centres (for operational and maintenance purposes), reduce the environmental footprint (e.g. reduced surface area, less CO2 equivalent emitted, fewer strategic materials used, etc.), and finally, control and prepare to manage the new risks associated with this new context.

A particular characteristic of this programme is that it requires the regular involvement of RTE’s experts in the IEC and CENELEC standardisation bodies to provide a stronger and more lasting foundation for the work completed.

Challenges



PROGRAMME Grid infrastructure evolution PROGRAMME Grid infrastructure evolution

30

Grid infrastructureevolution

PROGRAMME

Improving the energy efficiency of transmission lines

Preparing for new-generation substations

Preparing for the arrival of HVDC meshed networks

Adapting grid control systems, protection devices and defence principles to the new challenges and risks

Research areas




31

IMPROVING THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF TRANSMISSION LINES

Research area

RTE’s power lines extend for over 100,000 kilometres and include overhead, underground and subsea lines. In the current context, in which the installation of new power transmission structures is still a major issue, the objective is to develop technologies designed to increase the transmission capacity of existing trans-mission structures and give them more flexibility with regard to operating conditions:

- for example, studying new materials can address such needs as increasing transmission flow without necessarily increasing mechanical constraints on infrastructure (carbon nanotubes) or being capable of sharply reducing power losses for high power flows (superconductors);

-studying real-time assessment of the actual load-flow capacity of a structure by exploiting local meteorological data and knowledge of the structure’s physical condition (dynamic line rating);

-studying new levers of flexibility, including, for example, a device for modifying the impedance of an overhead line to allow the power flow to be distributed over the least loaded structures.

Finally, part of this research area is devoted to the study of new technologies for overhead and underground cables (particularly, developments pertaining to SF6-free gas-insulated transmission lines) in a comprehensive perspective, including behavioural prediction, life-cycle analysis and environmental impact using an ecodesign methodology.

Best Paths Project: development of a direct current superconductor cable.




32

Cable installation on the “PACA safety net” site.

Carbon nanotube.




33

RTE’s grid comprises nearly 3,000 substations, which form strategic nodes for managing energy flows as well as data flows. Preparing for new-generations substation involves determining their com-ponents and architecture to improve the availability, energy ef-ficiency and ecodesign of substation structures while increasing the volume of data they emit, thus providing more information on their internal operating states.

This research area is focused on studying new components or methods aimed at increasing the service life and availability of substation structures (e.g. experimenting with weathering steels that are resistant to atmospheric corrosion, assessing methods of detecting partial discharges to prevent the deterioration of insu-lation in the substation, and using current limiters to decrease the impact on equipment of a short-circuit current surge.

The potential offered by new substation component technolo-gies meeting environmental and energy transition requirements will also be explored. In particular, alternative solutions to the use of SF6 gas (a potent greenhouse gas) are being explored via a gas-insulated substation demonstrator using a dielectric gas with very little greenhouse effect (see THE GIS PROJECT ).

In-depth studies are being conducted on the feasibility of designing a HV subsea substation for the connection of new marine energy systems (i.e. marine turbines and floating wind turbines).

The problem of evacuating wind energy from the north of France is being dealt with via a demonstrator for a new-ge-neration overhead substation incorporating intensive use of digitisation (i.e. an all digital interface) and a new control- system architecture with advanced automation features (see THE SMART SUBSTATION PROJECT ).

PREPARING FOR NEW-GENERATION SUBSTATIONS

Research area




34

SF6-FREE GRIMAUD 63 KV GAS INSULATED SUBSTATION (GIS) PROJECT

A gas-insulated substation is a compact substation using a pressurised gas with insulating properties superior to those of air.

This project involves experimenting with a new-generation gas insulated substation (GIS) using a gas mixture with a C02 equivalent impact approximately 90% lower than the traditionally used SF6 gas.

THE SMART SUBSTATION PROJECT

This project is focused on experimenting with new-generation control system

equipment and measurement and monitoring systems that can digitise physical quantities

in the vicinity of power devices. In this “fully digital” environment, it becomes

possible to implement complex new zone automation functions.

An SF6-free gas insulated substation (GIS)




35

Research area PREPARING FOR THE ARRIVAL OF HVDC MESHED NETWORKS

By the year 2024, between 800 and 1,000 kilometres of new HVDC underground or submarine lines will be constructed by RTE. The goal of this research area is to validate the potential of the diverse technologies that will initially enable the integration of HVDC transmission lines into AC networks, and then facili-tate the introduction of HVDC meshed networks, referred to as “SuperGrids” in the European project.

The advantages of transmitting power at high or extra-high voltages (point-to-point) via long-distance cables are energy effi-ciency (less power loss at high voltages) and more precise control over the HVDC system’s operating mode, particularly in terms of managing transient or emergency situations, thus providing better control over the propagation of these events between networks.

The challenge posed by HVDC meshed networks is controlling personal injury and potential damage to equipments, since the traditional algorithms and tools used for detecting and eliminating faults no longer apply (due to no zero crossing and the extremely rapid increase in the short-circuit current to be cut), and coordina-ting the control systems of the HVDC stations to minimise their propagation.

Work in this research area is conducted primarily through partici-pation in two European projects (BEST PATHS and PROMOTION).

In particular, RTE is running a demonstrator on control system in-teroperability for multi-supplier converters and a study on the in-teroperability of protection schemes on the same HVDC network, as well as control modes for these lines.

A study of current limiters is being conducted jointly with the “Improving the energy efficiency of transmission lines” research area. Current limiters could prove to be highly useful in a DC network meshed with an AC network. Current surges vary rapidly during a short-circuit, which could cause damage to the converter station. To allow time for the protection scheme to react, the use of current limiters – which would automatically maintain power flows below the capacity of the transmission structures at all times (without sensors or calculating units) – would ensure the operatio-nal security of the hybrid AC/DC network.

RTE is also increasing its knowledge of the behaviour of HVDC stations by re-running actual or probable scenarios in its digital laboratory including a real-time simulator and replicas of the control system for the France-Spain interconnection. Collabora-tions with academic partners are facilitating the assessment of complex direct current network topologies (e.g. a network with ten terminals) meshed with an AC network.




36

Interior view of the tunnel under the Pyrenees (France-Spain interconnection).




37

Adapting NETWORK CONTROL SYSTEMS , PROTECTION DEVICES and DEFENCE PRINCIPLES to new challenges and risks involves taking account of the new functional requirements (regarding operation, maintenance and engineering) in view of the technological possibilities and rapidly changing nature of the components connected to the network, with respect to both generation and consumption, and studying defence strategies to control new risks.

The actions implemented in conjunction with this research area are aimed at developing a digital architecture capable of acquiring and safely distributing all measurements and data needed to protect and operate the network, and at assessing high-performance pro-tection algorithms (ensuring rapid, targeted fault detection, and even prevention), while ensuring that the system is resilient to contingencies and attack via an appropriate defence plan.

The research area is focused specifically on:

-assessing options for the more virtualised architectures made possible by digital advances, such as the virtualisation of several protection devices within the same centralised computer;

- assessing the accuracy, tamper-proofing and traceability of the energy metering chain in an environment in which data and processing are digital;

-assessing new high-performance protection algorithms based on the wealth of information available in digitised substations (current, multi-point voltage, atmospheric conditions, etc.) and on the performance of new computers now able to run real-time modelling of an electro-technical zone (substations, lines, etc.);

-studying the resilience of the defence plan in a rapidly changing context in which: power electronics are playing an increasingly important role; the proper functioning of the power system is dependent on the availability of a telecommunication system and IT structure; cyber-attack is a real possibility that must be considered (e.g. massive jamming, loss of IT or telecom services); and in which meteorological hazards could have an impact (e.g. magnetic storms, etc.).

ADAPTING NETWORK CONTROL SYSTEMS, PROTECTION DEVICES AND DEFENCE PRINCIPLES TO NEW CHALLENGES AND RISKS

Research area




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THE CONTROL SYSTEM

The control system encompasses all the industrial computing and telecommunications equipment needed to ensure the monitoring, protection and remote control functions of the power system. In particular, it includes protection devices, automation, metering and the like.

PROTECTION DEVICES

The function of protection devices is to protect people and property against the destructive effects of a short-circuit current. If a fault is detected, it sends opening commands to open the various circuit breakers concerned. Protection plans specify the full set of coordination rules for protection devices.

THE DEFENCE PLAN

The defence plan contains a full set of coordination rules for specific protection devices, designed to manage large-scale incidents. It’s also called “wide area system integrity protection schemes”.




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The environment and society are undergoing profound changes, and these transformations are accelerating. They encompass such issues as resource availability, energy costs, global warming, pollution, erosion of the natural heritage, changing consumption patterns, the growing need to foster a local, circular economy, etc.

These developments are accompanied by legislative and regulato-ry changes and all these factors require special attention from RTE in its technological choices and technical actions.

Through the research efforts it undertakes and its active monito-ring of these phenomena, the “Environment and Society” R&D programme aims to shed light on these choices, in order to ensure their “sustainability” (i.e. their “sustainable” nature, both econo-mically and environmentally, in the broadest sense and over the long term).

Challenges



PROGRAMME Environment and Society PROGRAMME Environment and Society

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Environmentand Society

PROGRAMME

Combating climate change, sustainably managing resources and preventing pollution

Harnessing societal factors interfering with our choice of solutions

Contributing to biodiversity protection and the services rendered by ecosystems around transmission structures

Research areas




41

COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE, SUSTAINABLY MANAGING RESOURCES AND PREVENTING POLLUTIONS

Research area

The fight against global warming, the announced depletion of mineral resources (especially copper), the increasing energy cost of producing and transporting materials, and an increasingly strict regulation for the environment protection in the face of pollution, are all issues that need to be investigated and dealt with in coming years. They are part of a societal context in which RTE plays a role as a responsible company and as a key player in the energy transition. As a factor in adapting the company and the network to these challenges, as well as a driving factor for green growth, the ecodesign approach coordinated by the “Environment & Society” R&D programme is accompanying this change by making this approach the methodological foundation for developing RTE’s solutions.

Cable with a copper core.




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Faced with strong opposition and doubts with regard to in-frastructure and new technologies by a significant part of the po-pulation, and a desire for more autonomy and local generation, the implantation of power transmission structures (both onshore and offshore) remains a major issue.

In this context, it is important for RTE to develop a more multi-disciplinary approach, including the social sciences, in order to better understand and more quickly adapt to rapidly changing societal developments, both to help rethink its own missions in the context of the digital, energy and environmental transi-tions currently underway and to improve dialogue with local and regional stakeholders.

UNDERSTANDING SOCIETAL FACTORS INTERFERING WITH OUR CHOICE OF SOLUTIONS

Research area




44

THE LIFE PROJECT

Committed to taking the biodiversity found in its transmission line right-of-ways into consideration, RTE has partnered with its Belgian counterpart ELIA in the European LIFE programme to find alternative ways of managing these areas. After six years, the experiment conducted under 100 kilometres of lines in Wallonia and on seven sites in France has shown an extremely positive return in environmental and economic terms (with a solid return on investment obtained after just a few years, compared to conventional rotary mulching repeated every three to four years), but also in societal terms (with ties forged with local authorities, and partnerships with environmental and agricultural stakeholders).

On the strength of this first experiment, RTE is repeating the experiment on a larger (i.e. regional), scale with its partners, with a proportionately higher level of implementation, at national level, in sectors with significant environmental issues.




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CONTRIBUTING TO BIODIVERSITY AND SERVICES RENDERED BY ECOSYSTEMS PROTECTION

Research area

Natural environments – increasingly artificialised, fragmented, and affected by climate-related change, invasive species and the stan-dardisation of management practices, – are gradually eroding the biodiversity of which they are composed of. RTE – which is res-ponsible for managing the vegetation growing under the 100,000 kilometres of transmission lines comprising its grid, running through a wide range of environments (forests, moors, peat bogs, marshes, meadows, etc.) –, is acutely aware of the importance of responsibly managing the existing ecosystems under its environ-mental responsibility.

The “Environment and Society” R&D programme, set up to meet this challenge, is focused on actions aimed at gaining a better un-derstanding of the biodiversity and ecosystem functions (especially wildlife corridors) found in its transmission line right-of-ways, and the resources needed to help these areas fulfil their ecological function.

These actions are implemented by both researchers and locally based natural habitat specialists and managers. The many functions and services rendered by these ecosystems will be gradually restored through these actions and partnerships.

In coming years, RTE will connect several offshore wind power gene-ration facilities to the grid. The behaviour of marine plant and animal life in the vicinity of these structures (during their construction, and then during operation) is poorly understood today and needs further study. For this reason, RTE is setting up partnership-based research initiatives with laboratories specialised in marine studies.




46




47

RTE’s core missions are to ensure the quality of supply, opera-tional security and economic and environmental performance of the power system, which has been described by the US National Academy of Sciences as the most complex human machine ever built1.

In the current context of increasingly variable injections and wit-hdrawals into and from the power system, its functioning and operation are in midst of transformation.

This transformation is a challenge both:

- from a technological point of view, since the massive introduction of power electronics poses problems of inertia, electromagnetic transients, choice of protection devices to be used on the grid and equipment response to short-circuit currents;

-and from an organisational point of view with, on the one hand, the emergence of more decentralised stakeholders (e.g. with increasing involvement of municipalities and local government on energy issues) and, on the other hand, the pursuit of European integration (e.g. coordinating the operation of the various power networks).

For these reasons, the fundamentals of the power system’s func-tioning and operation must be reconsidered. The “Power system functioning and operation” programme will take up the issue of overall system control architecture by integrating technical dimensions – such as dependence on telecommunication in-frastructure –, and will study system adaptation by drawing on new technological options, such as the Internet of Things for improved knowledge of operating limits or the use of new levers of distributed action and today’s mature storage solutions; finally it will seek to optimise system operation at the least cost to the community while ensuring operational security.

Pre-standardisation (IEEE and CIGRE) and standardisation work will be monitored more closely in order to publish the views of TSOs, particularly regarding the role of new players, potential aggregation models, and potential use cases in the area of network operations.

Challenges

1 Scores of times each day, with the merest flick of a finger, each one of us taps into vast sources of energy—deep veins of coal and great reservoirs of oil, sweeping winds and rushing waters, the hidden power of the atom and the radiance of the Sun itself—all transformed into electricity, the workhorse of the modern world.” Source: http://www.greatachievements.org/?id=2949.



PROGRAMME Power system functioning and operation PROGRAMME Power system functioning and operation

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Power system functioningand operation

PROGRAMME

Designing control architecture for the power grid of the future

Integrating new levers of flexibility into the power system

Optimising system operation

Controlling system stability ina grid undergoing transformation

Research areas




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DESIGNING CONTROL ARCHITECTURE FOR THE POWER GRID OF THE FUTURE

Research area

Such current developing trends as dispersed generation and demand response, own-consumption solutions and local storage on the one hand, and the sharing of reserves and the coordi-nation of European ripostes on the other, along with more in-telligence in substations and in future control and dispatching systems, are playing an increasingly critical role in today’s envi-ronment in which telecommunication tools are providing exciting new opportunities, limited only by an urgent need for more cy-ber-security and for robust operating solutions encompassing the power system as a whole.

On this new playing field, what is the appropriate density for the various components of the supply-demand balance? How should local and centralised smart capabilities be distributed? What level of action and control is appropriate for PLCs in relation to their usefulness and their need for robustness? What support te-lecommunications architecture is required and how much intero-perability with distributors and other TSOs?

All these issues must be investigated in this research area, if we are to be able to propose a control architecture for the power grid of the future.




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INTEGRATING NEW LEVERS OF FLEXIBILITY INTO THE POWER SYSTEM

Research area

Today’s network already uses levers of flexibility, including topo-logical action, phase-shifting transformers, automatic unlocking mechanisms, and actions affecting generation or consumption. In the future, a growing share of dispersed flexibility levers will need to be integrated (demand reduction and residential photovoltaic generation, etc.), as well as new flexibility levers made possible by mature technological progress, such as: residential storage or higher power storage installed in strategic locations on the trans-mission network, the general rollout of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission lines, dynamic line rating (DLR), etc.

On this new playing field, we will need to determine how to integrate these levers into our power system control processes and thus into our system security optimisation tools. The central focus will be on questions of modularity, communicating systems, and specifications for partners and/or suppliers, with a view to ensuring that each lever is initially integrated in a coherent manner and includes the necessary scalability of application in a rapidly shifting context.

A sensor used in conjunction with dynamic line rating.




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OPTIMISING SYSTEM OPERATION Research area

On the one hand, the power system is operated increasingly close to its physical limits (which also vary in real time), and in a context of increasing variability and uncertainly with regard to injections/withdrawals due to variability affecting the primary energy source, such as wind force or available sunlight. On the other hand, levers of action are increasing with DLR, HVDC transmission lines, virtual lines via battery storage, and usage control options, for example.

This area is focused on developing and supplying tools and methods to manage this growing complexity and on ensuring optimal system operation by leveraging action levers already available, but even more importantly, by leveraging new flexibility levers.

Studies will need to be conducted at each level – substation, local and regional, national and European – on optimal ways of managing these new levers so as to derive the optimum benefit for operating the system with a higher level of intelligence, auto-mation and anticipation, while ensuring its robustness.

As in a latest-generation aircraft cockpit, an automatic pilot layer is being developed for the power system, capable of adapting intelligently to any contingency and to constantly increasing complexity, giving the pilot a comprehensive overview, while also giving him the option of taking back control in certain critical phases.




52

The iTesla project is a new-generation platform used to analyse projected network situations covering a time horizon ranging from D-2 to real time. The underlying objective is to optimise operational security margins, by not taking excessive and costly margins, without compromising the secure operation of the network.

The iTesla platform is a decision-support tool meant to be used at transmission system operator (TSO) level, or by a group of TSOs (such as the CORESO coordination centre, for example).

iTesla offers three major innovations compared to existing tools::

»UModelling of uncertainties affecting intermittent injections, loads and prediction errors, making it possible to construct a probabilistic approach,

» Reliance on dynamic simulations, since the network is now operated closer to its limits (i.e. stresses occurring during the transient phase following an incident, loss of synchronism, poorly damped oscillations) and includes power electronics-based components whose dynamic behaviour must be taken into account;

» Modelling of preventive and corrective actions, which are available to operators so that they can be automatically tested and optimised.

THE iTESLA PROJECT (Innovative Tools for Electrical System Security within Large Areas)




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Control of the power system includes the ability to analyse transient phenomena to ensure that current and voltage signals at all points in the network are consistent with characteristic limits for the various materials and ensure their proper functioning. RTE must also be able to ensure that these transient phenomena do not cause the power system to run in a degraded state that would not be acceptable under the operating rules.

Structural changes to the power grid linked to the energy tran-sition could make transient phenomena occurring on the grid more frequent and/or more restrictive.

The physical nature of the power system is changing as regards generation (with wind and photovoltaic), the network itself (with direct current lines and digital control systems) and consumption (with increasing numbers of electronics-based devices).

The proliferation of power-electronics-based components is clearly contributing to an increase in interaction phenomena and to a decrease in power system inertia.

A possible decrease in inputs from short-circuit currents on the system (with the shutdown of conventional thermal and nuclear plants) also poses questions about this plan and about the func-tioning of protection devices. These questions are addressed in the EU-funded Migrate project (Massive InteGRATion of power Electronic devices).

These active components also constitute new levers, and thus new means of flexibility for the power system of the future, which should be put to optimal use.

In order to pursue our studies on the dynamic behaviour of the power system, we must:

-continually ensure that the models used and the transient phenomena studied are adequately correlated;

-ensure that the simulation tools used will be able to adapt to these structural changes, and in particular, integrate detailed power-electronics-based models while retaining the ability to study large-scale phenomena, including frequency behaviour, collapse of voltage and inter-zone oscillation.

CONTROLLING SYSTEM STABILITY IN A GRID UNDERGOING TRANSFORMATION

Research area




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LIMITATION OF PHOTOVOLTAIC TO 49.5 AND 50.2 Hz

The figure opposite shows a simulation of the evolution of frequency in the European zone in the event of a loss of 2 GW of consumption with a significant share of renewables generation disconnecting at 50.2 Hz.

The loss of consumption initially generates a substantial increase in frequency, since frequency reflects the generation-consumption balance in the network. When frequency exceeds 50.2 Hz, a significant part of the renewables generation disconnects, causing a drop in frequency, reflecting the fact that generation is insufficient to meet consumption. The over-frequency problem is therefore rapidly transformed into an under-frequency problem, with a potential need to shed consumption rapidly. Finally, the European power system’s central settings adjust the generation of thermal power plants to reduce the frequency to 50Hz. These frequency excursions are even further amplified in that the network consists of photovoltaic and wind generation (resulting in decreased network inertia).

).50.3

50.2

50.1

50.0

49.9

49.8

49.7

49.6

49.5

Frequency (Hz)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Time (s)

Load demandContingencyLoss of load

220 GW-2 GW0 MW




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The electricity transmission grid faces changes in the energy ge-neration mixes and consumption patterns in France and Europe. RTE anticipates these transformations, taking environmental and societal changes into account, and adapts all its tools. The repla-cement and optimisation of existing equipment, along with the construction of new infrastructure, contribute to securing the power supply, controlling the risk of outages and consolidating a European electricity market.

The energy transition massively engaged at European level and the emergence of digital solutions providing new infrastructure opti-misation levers are radically altering the development and design context for the transmission grid.

To ensure that future investments are adequate and effective, the methods and tools currently used for grid development studies must be re-examined and adapted to this new context.

The base of technical and economic fundamentals and the risk policy guiding investment decisions must also be challenged while boosting coherence and coordination between development, maintenance and operation time frames.

In this perspective, the “Optimal grid development for the energy transition” programme is structured around two main R&D areas. The first area aims at ensuring better overall optimisation between development, maintenance and operation, and the second at re-examining the methods and tools used for the transmission grid development and economy.

Challenges



PROGRAMME Optimal grid development for the energy transition PROGRAMME Optimal grid development for the energy transition

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Optimal grid developmentfor the energy transition

PROGRAMME

Ensuring better overall optimisation between development, maintenance and operation

Re-examining system development methods and tools

Research areas




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ENSURING BETTER OVERALL OPTIMISATION BETWEEN DEVELOPMENT, MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION

Research area

The R&D area “Ensuring better overall optimisation between de-velopment, maintenance and operation” is aimed at redefining the base of technical and economic fundamentals and risk policies guiding investment decisions. An emphasis is also put on a greater coherence between the time horizons of investments, which can differ depending on the type of asset (transmission lines or dynamic grid management equipment), with those of asset mana-gement, maintenance and operations.

Initially, this area will focus on finalising the European research project, GARPUR, with the objective of re-examining the N-1 rule and of proposing innovative strategies to improve TSOs’ ability to manage risks in the power system.

Subsequently, this area will focus on exploring technical and economic criteria for investment decisions at different time horizons and on assessing their adequacy in the future context. The effectiveness and timeliness of the decisions taken with regard to the uncertainties and risk policies defined will be key aspects of this analysis.

This R&D area also aims at ensuring coordination between R&D activities on methods and tools for grid development with those of the “Power system functioning and operation” and “Asset mana-gement” programmes. Coordination issues will for example relate to flexibility modelling or grid maintainability considerations.




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THE GARPUR PROJECT

The major developments that the power system is currently undergoing, particularly the massive integration of renewables and the increased cross-border trading linked to the electricity market, are making network flows increasingly volatile and unpredictable.

GARPUR (Generally Accepted Reliability Principle with Uncertainty modelling and through probabilistic Risk assessment) is a European project funded through the European Commission’s 7th framework research programme led by a 20-partner consortium, including RTE, and comprising both academics and transmission system operators.

Launched in September 2013 for a term of four years, its aim is to re-examine the N-1 rule in the light of the ongoing transformations of electricity systems and propose innovative, adequate and effective strategies to ensure the reliability of electric power networks.

The major challenge facing GARPUR is to express the link between decisions taken by a TSO to satisfy an operational security criterion (such as the N-1 rule) with the resulting socio-economic impacts.

A mathematical formulation will be made in the form of a constrained optimisation problem, which will seek to minimise total network costs while ensuring a satisfactory level of operational security for end users. In particular, fault occurrence probabilities and the consequences when they occur, will be explicitly considered in the search for the best compromise. Consideration of interactions between investments made for the development or management of assets with network operational security in real time will be also studied. Similarly, the benefit provided by good coordination among TSOs will be highlighted. A quantification platform will be developed during the project to prove the existence of operational security criteria more optimal than N-1.




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To ensure that future investments are adequate and effective, methods and tools currently used for grid development studies must be re-examined and adapted to the energy transition context, while considering the emergence of digital solutions offering new means of optimising the power system. The objective of this R&D area is to provide innovative methodologi-cal and software solutions ( for both electricity market and grid development studies), addressing the following issues:

- the historical network hierarchy (distribution, wide-area transmission and interconnection) is being increasingly called into question by the growth of interconnection capabilities, which are gradually shifting bottlenecks to internal wide-area transmission networks, and by the massive displacement of means of generation to distribution networks; methods and software tools must therefore increasingly integrate European and local dimensions;

-a greater influence of the climate and a need to better characterise the resulting contingencies;

-a modification of consumption usage patterns;

-a more uncertain context (energy transition), suggesting disruptions in the future development of the power system, where it becomes necessary to explore a greater number of scenarios to test the robustness of strategies and identify strategies of ‘least regret’, etc.;

- the need to adapt the network to an in-depth rearrangement of flows (with a decrease in volumes of energy withdrawn from transmission grids but not necessarily in peak loads), inciting TSOs to consider innovative flexibility solutions (e.g. network automation, consumption management, balancing of renewables generation, storage, etc.) as well as solutions aimed at optimising grid development;

-as a corollary to a tighter optimisation of grid development, a reduction in the margins available for operation and maintenance and consequently the need to better reflect operating constraints in development studies.

STRENGTHENING R&D ON SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT METHODS AND TOOLS

Research area




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Over the years, the French and European power systems have been built up around high-power generation facilities and increasingly interconnected transmission networks, this mesh being technically and economically the most efficient means to pool resources and for mutual aid and assistance, along with appropriate demand-res-ponse mechanisms.

With the arrival of decentralised generation facilities, new techno-logical stakeholders (storage facilities, active consumers, electric vehicles, active distribution networks) and institutional stakehol-ders (metropolitan areas, local and regional authorities) and the desire to develop a multi-energy approach (interaction between electricity, gas and heating networks), the development of the power system could take several different approaches in coming decades.

Different scenarios can thus be envisaged, each responding to a local, national or European energy policy, but also to exogenous economic factors. Each of these scenarios will be based on a need for a specific transmission network: it is therefore imperative to quantify this need to anticipate the network’s role (transmission, assurance) and “ultimately”, its economic model.

The aim of the “Foresight, economics and Smart Grids” programme is to scan for possible future developments, assess the conditions in which they might emerge, and then assess their impacts on RTE’s role.

This quantification could be based on demonstrators (smart grid pilot projects or deployment) or on digital simulation. It will provide topics for discussion on which RTE can rely to guide its internal strategic choices and for purposes of working with outside autho-rities (local or regional authorities, ministries, etc.).

Pre-standardisation (CIGRE) and standardisation work will be monitored more closely in order to publish the views of TSOs, par-ticularly regarding the functioning of retail markets and points of interaction with the wholesale market.

Challenges



PROGRAMME Foresight, economics and Smart Grids PROGRAMME Foresight, economics and Smart Grids

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Foresight, economicsand Smart Grids

PROGRAMME

Developing forward-looking visions for the electric power and energy sector and questioning the economic model

Proposing new market designs and new regulatory schemes

Defining relevant storage technologies and economic models for the power system and RTE

Understanding and supporting the energy strategy of local and regional authorities and offering them new services

Quantifying the technical and economic value of the new flexibilities tested on the power system

Research areas




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DEVELOPING FORWARD-LOOKING VISIONS FOR THE ELECTRIC POWER AND ENERGY SECTOR AND QUESTIONING THE ECONOMIC MODEL

Research area

The electric power sector, and more broadly, the energy sector as a whole, will change through the energy transition underway, on a nearly unprecedented historical scale: the movement is simul-taneously global, cross-cutting social differences, and particularly concentrated in time (a 20-30 year period). Developing a forward-looking vision for the electric power sector must necessarily integrate energy issues as a whole with a systemic perspective and awareness of the short time available to us to make these decisions. The construction of such a vision must be based on a wide range of partnerships and various new stakeholders, with their own motiva-tions. Fundamentally, a multi-criteria and multi-scale approach will be needed. R&D will conduct prospective studies aimed at quan-tifying the impacts of various scenarios on the power system in general and on RTE in particular.

The principles underpinning TURPE (the transmission system access tariff) have changed very little since the markets opened in the early 2000s, as the main challenge for public authorities at the time was to encourage regulated system operators to make the necessary investments.

This model has functioned well: the Energy Regulatory Commis-sion (CRE) systematically approved RTE’s investment plans, which increased from €700 million to €1.5 billion in just a few years.

But the context has changed: massive development of decen-tralised generation, stagnating consumption, changes in the capital structure of TSOs and even a more developed sense of environmental awareness are calling RTE’s current regulatory and economic model into question. Regulators, as well as the European Commission, wish to reorient the tariff model to promote innova-tion and encourage TSOs to develop digital and telecom solutions. A major shift in tariff structures and incentives for regulated operators is most likely forthcoming. R & D can provide support for tariff negotiating teams with background work and simulations to ensure consistency between economic signals and the funda-mental evolution of the power system




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PROPOSING NEW MARKET DESIGNS AND NEW REGULATORY SCHEMES

Research area

Falling fuel prices and the introduction of large volumes of renewable energies are putting downward pressure on market prices. It is still difficult to say whether this problem is structural or cyclical, but the impact on major European energy groups is such that TSOs, security of supply managers, neutral stakehol-ders with expertise and a global view of the entire system, and power exchange managers, must study the projected functio-ning of the markets in detail in coming years.

Weaknesses in the functioning of the markets appear to be struc-tural, in particular the ability to generate a return on large capital investments, and even more so, to derive signals on investment needs. Would uncapping market prices be enough to motivate investors remunerated on infrequent price peaks and to avoid the deployment of security of supply mechanisms in various European countries (capacity mechanisms, strategic reserves, etc.)?

The issue of the valuation of power system assets in relation to services rendered affects more than generation facilities: the valuation of interconnection projects, for example, is lower in the latest estimates than in the past. This also applies to other levers used by the power system, including dynamic demand manage-ment and storage.

The main topics studied in this research area will shed light on:

- the economic stakes associated with the various options for adapting the European network code on «Electricity Balancing» to promote the most relevant options;

-possible changes to the French capacity mechanism;

- renewables support mechanisms.

Digital simulation tools will be developed to test and quantify changes in market design or regulatory schemes.




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DEFINING RELEVANT STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES AND ECONOMIC MODELS FOR RTE AND THE POWER SYSTEM

Research area

The development of various storage solutions with an ongoing reduction in costs makes storage one solution among others for the future development of the power system; moreover, this de-velopment concerns all stakeholders since storage can render a range of services over the entire value chain.

Whether for its own needs (residual congestion on certain sections of the network) or more broadly, on the question of whether these devices can be massively deployed, RTE must quantify the technical and economic value of the various devices and position itself on the optimisation of their use. This will involve support for deployment in substations ( RINGO I ), a European project, ad hoc partnerships (with gas TSOs) and po-tentially, participation in pilot projects on other technologies than electrochemical batteries.

Containers of batteries




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A “virtual” transmission flow of 30 is sent in addition to the real transmission flow of 100. The virtual line allows the network to peak at 130% of the nominal capacity of the real line.

1. ACTIVATION PHASE

The period when the real line is under-loaded (here, at 50% of its capacity) is used to restore the batteries to their initial state. It is at this point that the virtual transmission of 30 is actually completed. A shift in transmission timeis made possible by the use of batteries.

2. RESTORATION PHASE

130

13030

MAX 100REAL 100

30Virtual transit 30

50

5030

MAX 100REAL 80

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VIRTUAL TRANSMISSION LINES, RINGO

Virtual lines are deployed to avoid intermittent congestion, by implementing a series of storage devices distributed over the network, at a zero energy balance.

In the presence of network congestion, RINGO devices located at different network nodes are managed jointly via software. Power is withdraw from the network by RINGO equipment located upstream of the network congestion and then re-injected into the network by RINGO equipment located downstream of the congestion, for a zero balance. This phase is called the “activation phase”.

In the absence of network congestion, the RINGO equipment is brought back to its initial state by symmetrical movements, so as to be ready to manage new network congestion. This phase is called the “restoration phase”. The energy balance for these various power movements is zero.




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Globally, Smart Cities – also called sustainable, connected or digital cities, or even breathable cities –, are emerging as an iconic location for the development of future-oriented local initiatives. At the French level, metropolitan areas have also been entrusted with new prerogatives in the energy transition planning law and the MAPTAM Act. They are now authorised to manage a certain number of initiatives in the field of energy.

In the French political and economic landscape, it is therefore essential to personalise RTE’s relations with local and regional authorities by forging ties through dialoguing tools, ranging from educational tools to support tools for service offerings. Since the expectations of local authorities are geared towards a multi-en-ergy approach, a common approach with other energy players would appear to be promising and desirable.

RTE’s challenges are therefore:

- to publicise services provided by the transmission system for the development of metropolitan areas (via educational efforts on RTE’s role);

- to assist local authorities with their prospective energy studies and, working in common with other players, characterise the need to ensure the ongoing viability, or development of their infrastructure through the lens of the metropolitan area and the region;

- to heighten the awareness of local stakeholders to the issues of resource pooling on a French and European scale.

UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORTING THE ENERGY STRATEGY OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL AUTHORITIES AND OFFERING THEM NEW SERVICES

Research area




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Due primarily to the impact of digital technology, the operation of the power system in real time will give rise to additional flexibility levers. Interaction between players will be intensified, facilitating and accelerating the optimisation and use of available resources, including generation resources, consumption/demand response, storage solutions or network resources (which will be increasingly monitored). Smart grids must also contribute to better service, whether economic, environmental or societal in nature.

Technology must not be an obstacle. But the valuation of these new technologies and functions remains to be calculated, will evolve in years to come and may depend on the players, and whether they favour economic, environmental or societal values.

Demonstrators have been used for small-scale testing. The major deployments planned for the next four years (i.e. the Smile project, FlexGrid under action 6 of the “SMART GRIDS” INDUSTRIAL PLAN but also in other regions) will make it possible to refine upgrade strategies for hardware and software, possibly with conclusions showing how to customise the best solutions to fit system configurations.

In addition to feedback from these large projects, ad hoc si-mulation tools will evolve for the performance of these cal-culations, and these tools may be pooled with other energy industry players.

QUANTIFYING THE TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC VALUE OF THE NEW FLEXIBILITIES TESTED ON THE POWER SYSTEM

Research area




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THE “SMART GRIDS” INDUSTRIAL PLAN

The “Smart Grids” plan, set up under the New Industrial France initiative launched by the French president in 2013, is aimed at consolidating the French Smart Grids sector around new high-growth markets likely to foster job creation.

In this framework, RTE is participating in a number of initiatives launched under this plan:

»THE “FEDERATE” INITIATIVE – The ThinkSmartGrids association was created on 15 April 2015. RTE served as its first President until September 2015. Since then, RTE has served as its Vice-President and, as such, is also a member of the Executive Committee. As a founding member, RTE is a member of the Board of Directors;

»THE “PROMOTE” INITIATIVE – RTE is on the International Commission that determines the association’s promotional guidelines. RTE also participates in various exhibitions under the association’s banner to sponsor and support the French Smart Grids offer;

»THE “STARTUPS” INITIATIVE – RTE participates in the Large Companies / SMEs Commission. It helped draft the charter pertaining to their relations;

»THE “VALUE CREATION” INITIATIVE – RTE coordinated a first collegial report on the socio-economic value of Smart Grids, which was released in July 2015. RTE was mandated by the French Economy and Energy ministers to further develop this work in close cooperation with ADEME, with the aim of issuing a second report in late 2016 or early 2017;

»THE “SMART GRIDS DEPLOYMENT” INITIATIVE – Pursuant to article 200 of the Energy Transition for Green Growth Act, this initiative is aimed at the wide-scale deployment, between 2017 and 2020, of mature or nearly mature industrial solutions over an extended geographical area. RTE will deploy a base of solutions in the two regions selected by the French Economy and Energy Ministries: the West (the Smile project) and the Southeast (the FlexGrid project) between 2017 and 2020;

»THE “UNIVERSITY CAMPUS” INITIATIVE – RTE is involved in setting up four campuses (in Lille, Saclay, Grenoble and Nice);

»THE “R&D STRATEGY” INITIATIVE – RTE is a member of the association’s Scientific Council, and as such, participates in preparing position papers in the association’s name;

»THE “INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS” INITIATIVE – RTE launched a competition on monitoring in February 2015 for French startups. Four companies were selected and are now involved in experiments on our facilities with the goal of assessing their value. RTE is planning to launch another competition of this type in 2017.

CRÉATION DE VALEUR

DÉPLOYER LES REI

JEUNES POUSSES

ACADÉMIE

CAMPUS UNIVERSITAIRES

PROMOUVOIR

STRATÉGIE R&D

SOLUTIONS IN

NOVANTES

NORMALISATIO

N

FÉDÉRER

€

!

UN DÉPLOIEMENTÀ GRANDE ÉCHELLE

2017UN GROUPEMENTET UNE VITRINE

2014

UNE STRATÉGIELONG TERME

2020

De la démonstration à la réalisation,prendre un coup d’avance

ÉQUIPE DE FRANCE DES REI




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DIRECTION RECHERCHE ET DÉVELOPPEMENTCœur Défense – 100, esplanade du Général de Gaulle 92931 La Défense

www.rte-france.com

Photo credits: Lionel Astruc, Olivier Banon, William Beaucardet, François Chevreau,

Thierry Colle, Jean-Lionel Dias,Sylvie Legoupi, Thomas Moren,

Franck Oddoux, Lionel Roux, Elisabeth Schneider, Seignette Lafontan

and Médiathèque RTE.

outlines of rte’s r&d programme for 2017-2020 · 2018-08-24 · summary rte is publishing the...

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