Success in real use-cases of low voltage network automation to accomplish the integration of e-mobility and DER

The energy transition requires a significant evolution in the low voltage (LV) network to integrate distributed generation, e-mobility charging stations, and new network components, focusing investments on adding functionality and optimizing the existing infrastructures for a greener network. For this reason, the LV network of the future demands attributes like digitization, automation and cybersecurity to ensure an efficient, safe and reliablenetwork observability, protection and operation. The current evolution of the LV switchboard, from the traditionally manually operated to the automated one, has proven a key tool for managing the LV network. This evolution, achieved by adding more functionalities like evolving IEDs to acquire and manage more information and developing specific protection functionalities, will change the way DSOs are managing their LV network. This paper provides evidence of the usefulness of this evolution, detailing several experimentations in real networks that resulted in the installation of more than 200 automated LV feeders.