Enabling demand reduction through voltage control in power distribution systems

The increasing adoption of electric vehicles and the electrification of heat and transportation is expected to challenge the capacity of UK electricity networks, necessitating costly reinforcements and additional spinning reserves to handle peak demand. To explore and address such challenges, the Demand Reduction through Voltage Control (DVRC) project investigates voltage manipulation techniques, such as transformer tap decrement, tap staggering, and transformer tripping to manage the demand and reactive power within a DNO network in the UK. To demonstrate the new solution, five distinct trials were defined for this project which evaluated the impact of these techniques on demand, reactive power, and system frequency. The trials were categorised based on the activation method and the evaluated metric. Activation method in turn was either triggered based on time or threshold for demand and system frequency. Voltage measurements were taken at the LV side of secondary substations, and they were found to be compliant with statutory voltage limits while the trials were in progress. The results of this project show that the activation methods explored can effectively reduce demand, enabling network operators to defer reinforcements without compromising on power quality for the customers.