Concept of rural intelligent grid interactive planning methodology

Renewable Energy Sources (RES) are becoming the backbone of the electric power infrastructure. Their role will be more dominant in the coming years, since the European Union aims to generate up to 80 % of the total electric demand by RES by 2050. However, the planners of the RES-based power plants are receiving more and more opposition from the local population regarding installing new power plants. The main reason lies mainly on their non-engagement in the planning and decision-making processes. The development of smart grid rural areas represents a good test field to realize and test new planning design tools, as is shown in the smart grid project in Dardesheim (Germany). This paper presents a new concept of an interactive planning methodology to be implemented in the design tool for planning and operating energy power infrastructure within rural areas. The main characteristic of the design tool developed is based on the multi-criteria approach used, which considers technical, social and economic aspects. This research is carried out by the project “RIGRID - Rural Intelligent Grid” within the framework of the initiative “ERA-Net Smart Grids Plus.”