Attest project: tools for ancillary service procurement in day-ahead operation and real-time activation in distribution grids

The efforts to achieve carbon-neutral power systems aim to reduce the harmful effects of greenhouse gas emissions on climate. The energy systems of 2030 and beyond will face an increasing need for flexibility and generation back-up capacity in order to accommodate massive penetration of renewable energy sources (RES) together with the electrification of transport, heating and cooling sectors. In line with these changes, this paper describes two innovative tools developed in ATTEST project, that focus on the optimal procurement of ancillary services (AS) in day-ahead operation planning and optimal activation of AS in real-time operation of distribution grids. Specifically, these tools compute at the two different stages optimal settings of a variety of distributed energy resources namely: RES, battery storage units, shiftable (flexible) loads, particularly electric vehicles, and grid control means such as On-load Tap Changing (OLTC) transformers. The tools have been successfully tested on a variety of realistic models of distribution grids from UK, Croatia, Portugal and Spain.