CM2026-01: Facilitate non-assurable Flexibilities using one-way (traffic light) signalling

iFlex2X

For an efficient integrate of high volumes of volatile RES, it appears that the generation-follows-consumption paradigm is not entirely applicable. Variable flexibility is required on the consumption side to balance the impact of volatile RES on the generation side.

Explicit flexibility, which can be guaranteed hours of even days ahead of actual usage, is scarce and belongs to the reserve energy realm, i.e., Demand Side Management schemes. In contrast thereto is implicit flexibility, i.e., momentary possible demand variation, ample. The problem is, it cannot be guaranteed to be available when needed. For example, an EV may be disconnected due to an unforeseen event, heating my be needed more or less because the weather forecast was wrong, and the washing machine may not be an option during the night or when unattended.

In the course of a transnational CETP project we want to develop and test a multi-tier capable one-way signalling approach, the RGB-TLS (red-green-blue traffic-light-signal), to integrate uncertain flexibility as a support for local voltage maintenance, mid-term grid balancing in addition to tertiary reserve energy provisioning, and to balance short term peer-to-peer energy trading.

The stochastic contribution of implicit flexibility to the local, regional, and national balancing cannot replace the existing mechanisms operated by the DSO and/or TSO. However, it is expected that at times it can reduce the burden on scarce reserve energy sources by relaxing an imbalance that persists for some time until it is finally solved by tertiary power reserves and re-dispatch measures.

On the other hand, implicit flexibility can also be used on the energy market to mitigate purchase-consumption imbalances. Aggregators and energy suppliers do their core business based on generation and load prediction. Deviations from predictions are a central part of the business and mitigated by accumulating sufficiently many volatile sources to leverage the risk according to the law of large numbers in probability theory.

If customers profit from voluntarily adjusting the power consumption on-demand, i.e., participate in so called Demand Response schemes, they utilise their implicit flexibility. For both, the aggregated power consumption and the aggregated response of demand response participants, the law of large numbers applies and enables stable business.

Thus, energy customers can utilise implicit flexibility to support both, the indispensable power grid stability and an economic energy supply business. But if a customer gets potentially opposing signals from different energy system realms and levels, how shall the customer respond correctly?

The RGB-TLS intends to harmonise the signalling, such that the customer gets one signal only. This final signal shall be a compromise derived from the multiple signals destined to the customer. How opposing signals from different energy system realms and levels shall be merged into a single signal shall equally consider customer preferences and regulatory needs that assure energy system stability. As far as possible within the project duration, it shall also be tested in the Austrian Living Lab "InnoLab W4" [https://reallaborw4.at/].

See: https://doi.org/10.1109/ISGTEUROPE56780.2023.10408341 for more details on the intention and considered multi-level application, and https://doi.org/10.34726/3882 (section 3.1) on the possible implementation.

The existing concept (TRL2/3) shall be raised to TRL4/5.