Summary:
GWP3 intends to build on the experiences gathered from the six demonstrations carried out within the GRID4EU project and evaluate their added value for the European community under a common framework. In order to achieve this goal, two complementary studies will be carried out: scalability and replicability analysis (SRA) and cost-benefit analysis (CBA). One of the main barriers to achieve these goals is related to the fact that the application of these methodologies to the smart distribution grids world is not mature yet. Consequently, significant work is required to adapt existing approaches and/or fill-in the various existing gaps. This document, which should be considered as a draft version of the final deliverable, summarizes the work done so far in this regard.
It is shown that both studies complement each other, bringing relevant conclusions that might facilitate the future deployment of Smart Grids solutions. On the one hand, the SRA aims at evaluating how the outcomes of the proposed Smart Grids solutions would be affected or the obstacles that might be encountered when these are implemented at a larger scale or under different boundary conditions. These boundary conditions comprise technical, economic, regulatory and societal issues. As a result, a set of scaling-up and replication rules will be developed so as to identify the most favourable conditions for the implementation of certain solutions as well as potential barriers.
The goal of the CBA is to assess the economic value of a specific innovative Smart Grids solution. In this case, the results will be firmly based on actual demonstration and measured impacts, thus constituting a relevant contribution to a European wide audience. The costs and benefits brought about by smarter distribution grids are usually unevenly distributed across the stakeholders involved. Moreover, these benefits are not always economic in nature. Hence, it is necessary to incorporate the different existing viewpoints within the sector as well as considering the potential qualitative impacts that may affect the adoption of innovative solutions.
Future developments, which will be presented in the next version of the deliverable, will provide further details about how to apply this general methodology to each one of the demo projects, tailoring it specifically to their singularities.
IIT Project: GRID4EU_FP7 (GRID4EU_FP7)
Funding entity: Comisión Europea. FP7 - Cooperation / Energy
Publication date: 30-10-2014
IIT-14-167I
Download report