Achievements

The FutureNet programme has been finished in the fourth year with the completion of the delivery of the work outlined in the original case for support.  

 
A key responsibility of FutureNet has been proving the analysis that informs the national and international debate on the future of networks in a way that allows networks operators, generators, manufacturers and regulators to make more effective preparation for change.  This analysis appears first in academic outputs and during the year there have been a further 36 conferences papers and 28 journal papers to add to the 160 and 70 noted at the end of year three. 
Progress by each of the work-streams is shown below

• Scenarios - the scenarios work was essentially complete at the end of year three and was already widely disseminated.  In year four the investigators have continued to engage with users of the scenario reports including through the Distribution Working Group and OFGEM’s Long-term Electricity Network Scenarios work.  The 2020 scenarios have been refined for inclusion in a book (see System Evolution) and an IEEE Transactions paper on transmission charges under the scenarios published.

• Dynamics and Stability of Renewable Energy Sources - research on the dynamics and stability of renewable energy sources (particularly large wind farms) remains topical - attracting considerable industrial interest.  Specific items of progress by the work-stream include understanding the influence of tower shadow and wind turbulence on power system stabiliser performance; the integration of the wide speed wind turbine model into the GB network; an investigation of the interactions of power system stabiliser and wind turbine active dampers; a study to investigate the interactions that exist between the mechanical and electrical systems of a wide speed range wind turbine; investigation of DC transmission from wind farms and the provision of fault ride through capability; and the modelling and control of a variable speed induction generator for wind energy applications.  

• Intermittency Issues - Year four has seen further work on the design of electricity networks and security of supply in power systems fed from intermittent energy sources.  Key findings are that significant penetration of intermittent generation will radically alter the way in which transmission network should be designed; economically efficient offshore networks for wind energy should be designed with no redundancy (unlike onshore networks); and that there will be a significant opportunity for various demand side management applications to substitute for conventional generation capacity.

• Decentralised Control - During the fourth year the study of multi-agent based emergency control has been extended to include the integration of information from the whole local network in order to provide a mechanism for the implementation of decentalised control frameworks.  The application of decentralised control for normal (non-emergency) control has continued using multi-model based predictive control theory.  A new control algorithm using generation and load information within the local voltage control area has been proposed.  A voltage security index to aid network operators and a supporting control system to effect improvements to the index has been devised.  A key issue is the ability to perform control and calculate the security index in real time. To validate this, a real-time simulator and a “hardware in the loop” prototyping system were used.  

• Demand-Side Participation - the network impacts and benefits of demand side participation were rounded off during year four.  Dissemination has continued through publication of a journal paper and preparation for further conference presentations.  Members of the work-stream jointly contributed a chapter to a book (see System Evolution).  Work on understanding public beliefs about energy service provision has continued into year four and has now been successfully completed and investigation of control action on the demand side has continued through year four. 

• Microgrids - the overall technical objectives of analysing and demonstrating microgrid operation and protection have been completed and disseminated.  Year four has seen the rounding off of protection work, the completion of PhD theses and the promotion of conference papers into journal papers.  The debate on the role of microgrids continues and FutureNet members have contributed in many ways with a focus on identifying where microgrids can prove economically and environmentally positive. 

• Public Perception - the analysis of the qualitative dataset collected in Leicester and Scotland (Beauly) using focus group methods has been completed.  The qualitative dataset was complimented and extended, in a manner that will inform the FlexNet project, by means of a quantitative study of beliefs about electricity networks conducted by YouGov in September 2007 of a representative sample of over 1,000 UK adults.  Analysis of this quantitative dataset will be the first task undertaken within the FlexNet project. 

• System Evolution - year four has been one of consolidation and dissemination.  This work-stream has co-ordinated the wide range of expertise in the consortium, supplemented with some external contributions as appropriate, to compile two books with chapters written by specialists within an agreed structure.  The majority of the material was developed in research undertaken by the FutureNet consortium.  The first book, Future Electricity Technologies and Systems, has been well received.  The second book - Delivering a Low Carbon Electricity System: Technologies, Economics and Policy, edited by Grubb, Jamasb, and Pollitt - is written, edited and with the publishers in preparation for publication in March 2008.  

• Market Design and Service Valuation - energy market design has now to be seen in the context of the commitment by the EU heads of states to deliver 20% of energy from renewable sources by 2020.  To provide the necessary analytic basis the work on the incorporation of wind in an investment planning model had been continued, discussed at international workshops and published.  Investment in new power generation is receiving increasing attention.  The research and presentations pursued in the fourth year span the range from generic questions on “investment in generation capacity” to more specific questions of the relative impact of carbon trading or carbon taxes on generators risks.

The fourth year has provided more evidence that the work of the consortium is being used in industry-wide bodies.  Internationally, this includes IEA and Cigre committees where FutureNet members have taken specific material to the discussion.  Nationally OFGEM reports and consultations have made use of FutureNet work.  In fact, both the Distribution Working Group and OFGEM have used FutureNet scenarios as the starting point for their own deliberations and elaborations. 
As well as the use being made at the industry level there have also are also some specific engagements with industry including model developments for consulting engineers, analysis of carbon trading impacts for generators, National Grid stability modelling, and informing energy services companies on peoples’ perception of energy technologies. 
Training and staff development have been important benefits from the FutureNet programme

• PhD students that started during year one have been completing and later starts are now writing up

• Researchers have developed their careers in academic directions (research assistants becoming lecturers and post graduates becoming research assistants) or by taking positions in industry.

Finally planning for the follow-up FlexNet programme has continued with the aim of providing the springboard for the next stream of work