Automated data integration of residential and commercial PV systems into DSO SCADA utilising IEC 61850 compliant comprehensive data model

As a vital part of the ongoing energy transition, an increasing number of residential as well as small and medium-sized commercial PV systems are and will be installed in the distribution grids. In terms of PV integration, the physical integration of grid-interconnected PV systems often stands in the focus. However, system integration on the information level must be handled as well regarding the scalability of decentralised energy systems. It is not feasible to manually integrate millions of decentralised PV systems into the utility grid management systems. Hence, a model-driven automation approach should be considered to standardise the integration process of distributed PV systems. This paper investigates this issue at the data model and communication level. Two highlights are: 1) the utilisation of an IEC 61850 compliant comprehensive data model for advanced use cases, such as PV curtailment and application of PV forecast; 2) an IEC 61850 model-based automation framework as the data model interface for an experimental distribution grid control centre. The proposed concept has been validated at different testing levels and could assist DSOs in handling the controllability and scalability of distributed PV systems, realise the high capacity utilisation scenarios of future distribution grids and reduce grid reinforcement investments.