Voltcontrol
Voltcontrol achieves secure and optimised voltage management for the control centres.
As the power system undergoes strong decentralisation, integrates rising volumes of renewable energy, and phases out traditional power plants, voltage behaviour becomes increasingly volatile. This increasing grid complexity leads to operators performing far more switching actions – growing from around 10 per hour today to potentially over 60 in the coming years. Voltcontrol addresses this operational challenge by supporting operators in real time, near real time, and planning processes.
Use Case
When, during periods of high renewable infeed, large amounts of wind and solar generation enter the grid, system operators traditionally analyse the real time grid situation, anticipate voltage deviations, and take corrective actions such as switching capacitors and reactors, adjusting reactive power, or issuing redispatch orders.
Voltcontrol continuously evaluates the current grid topology and forecasted scenarios, predicts upcoming voltage issues using AI based and optimisation algorithms as well as proposes and directly activates optimal switching actions to keep voltages within secure limits. Over time, the system learns from previous decisions and can progressively automate more of the voltage management workflow.
Benefit
The Voltcontrol product offers a range of significant benefits:
- Improved Reliability:
Faster, more consistent, and more accurate voltage management helps reduce the risk of faults or blackouts. - Operator Efficiency:
Routine actions can be automated, enabling operators to focus on exceptional or strategic tasks. - Higher Renewable Integration:
Advanced optimisation supports handling volatility from wind and solar inputs. - Scalability:
The modular optimisation design can be applied for tasks beyond voltage control such as congestion management or redispatching. - Future proof Operations:
By moving towards increasing levels of automation, Voltcontrol can gradually respond autonomously to complex grid conditions.
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The technology behind it
The optimization module has access to a variety of solvers. This allows the automation of control actions and optimization across different time horizons.
How does it work?
- Data Input
Voltcontrol ingests real time operational data, grid topology, forecast information, system constraints, available control means, and an objective function. This provides the foundation for assessing both current and future voltage conditions. - Voltcontrol Optimisation
An optimisation algorithm processes these inputs, considering time coupling and security constraints, and runs during both operational planning and real time operation. - Activation
Based on the optimisation results, Voltcontrol proposes or initiates actions that reduce operator workload. These include optimal adjustments of capacitor banks, shunt reactors, transformer tap positions, generator reactive power setpoints, and devices such as HVDC links or STATCOMs. The system supports operators through recommendations or (semi )automatic activation where appropriate.
Visual
VoltControl supports operators throughout the optimisation workflow. It enables the selection of grid and configuration files to initiate new optimisation runs or revisit previous scenarios. Results are presented through intuitive graphs showing pre- and post-optimisation voltage curves across different voltage levels, highlighting deviations and improvements. In parallel, logs and key performance indicators provide transparency into the optimisation process, allowing operators to assess solution validity and overall quality.
To find out more, watch this free webinar about MCCS Grid Analysis Suite: Webinar: How to Address Voltage, Stability, & Congestions with The Grid Analysis Suite of MCCS
