e-News for power industry leaders

Issue 31 - October 2022

Dear Reader,

Welcome to this fourteenth edition of In The Loop (ITL).

It has been a busy period for us since the last edition seeing the running of the Paris Session, our AGM and annual reporting to members.

We now have over 850 subscribers and have published in excess of 90 technical articles related to CIGRE work within the region and internationally.

In this edition, we present recently completed reports from Working Groups B3.55, C5.26 and Joint Working Group C6/B4.37 which together provide some interesting and relevant information on developments in the renewable, distribution and BESS areas.

The Paris Session has come and gone and saw a very successful reunion of some 3700 delegates to meet at the Palais du Congres to discuss technical issues and challenges - of which there seem many. We had over 90 Australian delegates attend, which following the issues of COVID in recent years was a great outcome. In addition we fully or part funded seven young engineers (NGN) members to attend. A summary from our scholarship holders and one of our recipients of the global NGN contribution award can be viewed HERE.

Of course, for those not able to get to the Paris Session (or even if you did) you can schedule our 2023 International Cairns Symposium (4th -7th September) into your diaries.

We now have eleven of the sixteen global Study Committees attending over the four day event, so whilst not quite as large as a Paris Session, this Symposium will present an excellent opportunity to view and experience an international CIGRE event on Australian soil.

The call for abstracts for the Symposium has now been extended to 11th November 2022. The abstract submission only requires less than 500 words, with the paper from accepted authors being due in April 2023. So Don't delay, it is shaping up to be a very significant event in terms of numbers of attendees and activities planned.

You can CLICK HERE to go to the dedicated Cairns Symposium website where you can find everything you need to know about the Symposium including the call for abstracts, registration and sponsor information.
A two minute promotional video can be viewed HERE.

Our signature CIDER and SEAPAC events will be held within the Symposium with the one Symposium granting access to all the public Symposium sessions as well as SEAPAC and CIDER presentations.

The Call for Papers for CIDER has not yet been released, however the Call for papers for SEAPAC is now open and closes on 18th November.

Finally, we are pleased to be able to offer our Annual Technical Summaries as a Face to Face event 10th & 11th November in Sydney this year - goto our website for information and to register.

We will also be holding our Members Dinner on the evening of 10th November and will shortly be announcing the evenings entertainment - again, goto our website for information.

Best Regards

Terry Killen
Chief Executive
CIGRE Australia

Technical Editor - Phil Southwell

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WG B3.55, Design guidelines for substations connecting battery energy storage solutions

Incorporation of intermittent renewables is a key enabler of carbon reduction in the electricity sector. These power plants can alter the power flow pattern of the electrical system leading to reverse power flows, power variations and power supply balancing challenges. One method of addressing these challenges is the use of battery energy storage systems (BESS). This solution is becoming more attractive with the improvement in battery technology and the reduction in battery prices. The substation is an ideal location for installation of large-scale batteries, although there is limited experience in this solution. WG B3.55 has produced Technical Brochure 869 on “Design Guidelines for substations connecting battery energy storage solutions. Crina Costan was the Australian member on the working group.

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WG C5.26 Auction markets and other procurement mechanisms for demand response services

Demand response (DR) which enables customers to reduce their electricity consumption in response to prices and system needs, is playing an increasingly important role in power system operation. WG C5.26 has produced Technical Brochure 874 which has examined the state of DR procurement mechanisms in a number of countries and how well they have been incorporated into the different market structures. The Australian member of the WG was Gregor Verbic.

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Joint Working Group C6/B4.37, “Medium Voltage DC Distribution Systems”.

Medium voltage DC (MVDC) acts in the same way as high voltage but on a smaller scale and over smaller distances or at a specific site. This allows much more controlled and flexible ways of grid operation beyond the scope of conventional AC systems and can be one of the critical enablers for the transition to a net zero carbon emission network. While application of the technology is still limited, its future role is very promising. JWG C6/B4.37 has now published Technical Brochure (TB) 875 which summarizes the latest industrial practices and engineering insights, academic interests, and research advancements on MVDC systems. The Australian member of the JWG was Georgios Konstantinou.

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