Decarbonisation of the electric power sector necessitates deployment of new power network control technologies and also radical changes in the way these networks are planned, operated and controlled. In this context, this module provides an outline of five important topics which are critical for secure and cost-effective operation of a low-carbon electric power system but could not be accommodated as separate modules within the one-year MSc course in Future Power Networks. You will need to take a deeper dive into these topics if needed for their MSc project, for example.

On successfully completing this module you should be able to: 1 justify the role of power electronics in distribution networks. 2 describe in broad terms the main state estimation methods and their associated challenges. 3 appraise the cost-benefit of integrated energy systems. 4 defend the impact of low system inertia and the associated mitigation measures. 5 consider the role of FACTS devices in increasing the utilisation of AC transmission assets.

1 Power electronics in distribution networks: the concept of soft-open-point, converter topologies, design challenges and solutions, approaches to decentralised control, impact on distribution network operation. 2 Power system state estimation: methods of state estimation, bad data detection, network observability, and pseudo measurements. 3 Integrated energy systems: operation and design of multi-vector energy systems, carbon and cost benefits of adopting an integrated approach, balancing local and national level decarbonisation objectives. 4 System operation with low inertia: impact of low inertia, virtual inertia for converter interfaced generation. 5 Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS): need for flexibility in AC transmission, operating principle of typical FACTS devices, impact of FACTS devices on AC transmission asset utilisation.