Unlocking flexibility from third-party resources: decoding the interaction between mechanisms for acquiring Distribution System Operator services

E.C. Ormeño-Mejía, J.P. Chaves, M. Troncia

Current Sustainable/Renewable Energy Reports Vol. 11, pp. 45 - 67

Summary:

Purpose of Review

This review explores the interaction between mechanisms for acquiring distribution system operator (DSO) services, such as network tariffs, flexible connection agreements, and local markets, considering their constitutive characteristics represented as design dimensions.

Recent Findings

Mechanisms for acquiring DSO services, such as network tariffs, flexible connection agreements, and local markets, have been recently studied in literature as a way for DSOs to access flexibility from third-party resources. However, they are typically designed as independent entities. Therefore, there is a lack of understanding regarding the interaction between these acquisition mechanisms.

Summary

This work investigates mechanisms for acquiring DSO services, especially focusing on network tariffs, flexible connection agreements, and local markets. These mechanisms, developed to facilitate the procurement of flexibility from third-party resources, are traditionally designed standalone without considering their potential synergies or incompatibilities resulting from their interaction to meet system service requirements. This paper aims to fill this gap by discussing how these mechanisms could interact with an analysis to identify possible synergies and conflicts among them by considering their design dimensions.

Spanish layman's summary:

Este artículo examina la interacción entre mecanismos para adquirir servicios por parte del operador del sistema de distribución (DSO), como las tarifas de red, los acuerdos de conexión flexible y los mercados locales. Estos mecanismos se han diseñado como entidades independientes, y aún no está completamente claro cómo pueden interactuar entre sí. En este estudio se identifican potenciales sinergias y conflictos entre estos mecanismos, considerando sus características constitutivas como dimensiones de diseño.

English layman's summary:

This article examines the interaction between mechanisms for acquiring services by the distribution system operator (DSO), such as network tariffs, flexible connection agreements, and local markets. These mechanisms have been designed as independent entities, and their interactions are often unclear. This study identifies potential synergies and conflicts between these mechanisms, considering their constitutive characteristics as design dimensions.

Keywords: Flexibility mechanism · Distribution system operator services · Network tariffs · Connection agreements · Local markets for DSO services

DOI reference: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40518-024-00236-7

Published on paper: September 2024.

Published on-line: June 2024.

Citation:
E.C. Ormeño-Mejía, J.P. Chaves, M. Troncia, Unlocking flexibility from third-party resources: decoding the interaction between mechanisms for acquiring Distribution System Operator services. Current Sustainable/Renewable Energy Reports. Vol. 11, pp. 45 - 67, September 2024. [Online: June 2024]