The ELECTRA Web-of-Cells control architecture concept for the future power system operation

The ELECTRA Integrated Research Programme (IRP) on smart grids, that brought together 21 European research organizations from the EERA Joint Programme on Smart Grids, was aimed to advance and coordinate the European research in the smart grids field. One of the main outcomes of the project is the development of the Web-of-Cells (WoC) concept for the operation of the future power system characterized by an extremely high penetration of distributed and renewable energy sources. According to the WoC the power system is split into control cells. A cell is defined as a portion of the power grid able to maintain an agreed power exchange at its boundaries by using the internal flexibility of any type available from flexible generators, loads and storage systems. The total amount of internal flexibility in each cell shall be at least enough to compensate the cell generation and load uncertainties in normal operation. In this paper we present the main features of the WoC and some other related aspects of this new control concept together with the main results of from the ELECTRA activity.