Reliability and economic implications of collaborative distributed resources

Large-scale penetration of distributed energy resources such as Wind Farms (WF) and Electrical Energy Storage (EES) will be key attributes of future distribution networks. In this light, it is essential to develop a comprehensive understanding of how these resources actively affect reliability levels and distribution network reinforcement needs. In this work, WF and EES contribute to network reliability by providing capacity during post-fault operations, thus deferring reinforcement needs that are triggered by load growth. A reliability assessment framework based on Sequential Monte Carlo simulation is used to quantify the reliability improvements owing to WF and EES. To this end, the classic concept of Effective Load Carrying Capability is used to calculate their capacity contribution. Furthermore, the economic benefit for the DSO associated with the resources' capacity credit is also calculated. The methodology is demonstrated using a real UK 11kV distribution network.