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ISGAN Library

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Network planning and decision making under uncertainty

Policy Brief

Points at the need of ensuring that regulatory frameworks foster both conventional and smart grid solutions contributing to the clean energy transition

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers

Access

Network planning and decision making under uncertainty

Discussion Paper

A discussion paper to build a common understanding and to exchange knowledge on a wide variety of topics related to grid planning. Points for example at some regulatory adaptions needed to provide incentives to achieve the right results in terms of supporting the energy transition and, more generally, the fulfilment of all UN SDGs.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

Energy communities' impact on grids - Energy community embedment increasing grid flexibility and flourishing electricity markets

Discussion Paper

The regulatory impact on the Local Energy Communities possibilities to controbute the the energy transition is lifted. Also the needs for enabling large-scale implementation of energy communities on the power grids are discussed. As is economic processing in the power industry and business organization. Recommendations on innovation and research activities.

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers; Local/regional government ; DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

Aggregator roles in digitalized power system

Discussion Paper

This discussion paper investigate how aggregators can improve the TSO-DSO-Customer coordination in a digitalised power system by analysing existing policies, their role, possible coordination approaches, and addressing (non-) technical challenges. The need for establishing clear definition of the aggregator role is emphasised as well as ensuring regulatory frameworks that supports fair competitiveness, transparency, and freedom of choice for customers. Also supporting temporary regulatory changes and experiments are lifted as one potential support for enabling real deployment.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner; National/state government or energy policy makers; Local/regional government

Access

Aggregator roles in digitalized power system

Policy Brief

This policy brief presents how aggregators can improve the TSO-DSO-Customer coordination in a digitalised power system. The need for establishing clear definition of the aggregator role is emphasised as well as ensuring regulatory frameworks that supports fair competitiveness, transparency, and freedom of choice for customers. Also supporting temporary regulatory changes and experiments are lifted as one potential support for enabling real deployment.

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers; Local/regional government

Access

Flexibility and its impact on stakeholder interaction

Discussion Paper / Key messages /Survey results

Identification of major barriers to TSO-DSO coordination with respect to flexibility, challenges and mitigation. Underlines the need for funding within this area as well as the need for clear roles and responsibilities of the relevant power system actors.

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers;

Access

Regulatory experiments and real-world labs: A fruitful combination for sustainability

Paper

regulatory experiments, regulatory learning

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers

Access

ISGAN Regulatory Sandbox 2.0 Project: Policy Messages to the Clean Energy Ministerial

Policy Brief

regulatory experiments, regulatory learning

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers

Access

Practical necessity and legal options for introducing energy regulatory sandboxes in Austria

Paper

regulatory experiments, legal framework

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers

Access

Innovative Regulatory Approaches with Focus on Experimental Sandboxes 2.0

Casebook

regulatory experiments

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers

Access

Network planning and decision making under uncertainty

Policy Brief

How to handle uncertainty, complexity, new risks and threats? - How to ensure efficient stakeholder coordination and engagement throughout the network planning

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers

Access

Network planning and decision making under uncertainty

Discussion Paper

How to handle uncertainty, complexity, new risks and threats? - How to ensure efficient stakeholder coordination and engagement throughout the network planning

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

Aggregator roles in digitalized power system

Discussion Paper

This discussion paper investigate how aggregators can improve the TSO-DSO-Customer coordination in a digitalised power system by analysing existing policies, their role, possible coordination approaches, and addressing (non-) technical challenges. The need for establishing coordination approaches among aggregators, customers and grid operators with the focus on harmonised and interoperable solutions are underlined

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner; National/state government or energy policy makers; Local/regional government

Access

Aggregator roles in digitalized power system

Policy Brief

his policy brief highlight policy makers possibilities to enable aggregators as enablers for improving the TSO-DSO-Customer coordination in a digitalised power system. The need for establishing clear definition of the aggregator role is emphasised as well as establishing coordination approaches among aggregators, customers and grid operators with the focus on harmonised and interoperable solutions.

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers; Local/regional government

Access

Flexibility and its impact on stakeholder interaction

Discussion Paper / Key messages /Survey results

Identification of major barriers to TSO-DSO coordination with respect to flexibility, challenges and mitigation.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

ISGAN Wiki

Online Wiki

Platform for increased understanding of various aspects to agree on a shared language.

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers; Local/regional government ; DSO/Utility; Grid Owner

Decentralised Energy Futures. Emerging New Logics of Energy System Organisation

Paper

transition, institutions, decentralization

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers

Access

A Transition Perspective on Demand-Side Flexibility in the Integrated Energy System. Insights from The Danish ISGAN Annex 7 Project 2017-2021. UNEP DTU Partnership. Published in September 2021 in Copenhagen

technical report

actors, transition, collaboration

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers

Access

Stakeholder Opinions on Flexibility Usage in Electric Energy Systems

Technical Report

A detailed report based on intricacies of flexibility within the Austrian, Canadian, and Korean electricity systems. Discussed stakeholder views on technical, regulatory barriers and opportunities to use flexibility as a potential network reinformcement tool.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

TSO-DSO Coordination: the UK case

Insights paper

This insights paper investigates the UK landscape of coordination and alignment of processes and procedures within DSO and ESO in the UK and identifies further potential gaps that may hinder participation of innovators in flexibility markets.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

Methods for Customer Dialogue planning

Fact sheet

A factsheet summarising several methods for customer dialogue which can be used by National regulatory authorities and other actors to compile and make use of customer perspectives.

Target audience 

Local/regional government/regulator

Access

Network planning and decision making under uncertainty

Policy Brief

How to handle uncertainty, complexity, new risks and threats? - Underlines the need to develop and maintain a competent, capable and resilient workforce.

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers

Access

Network planning and decision making under uncertainty

Discussion paper

How to handle uncertainty, complexity, new risks and threats? - Points at different possibilities how to develop and maintain a competent, capable and resilient workforce.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

How to Improve the Interoperability of Digital (ICT) Systems in the Energy Sector

Discussion paper

The discussion paper investigates how to improve the interoperability of digital (ICT) systems in the (electric) energy sector. It presents and discuss various approaches for designing the system-of-systems, different approaches for enabling and verify the ICTinteroperability in Smart Grids and motivates the need for interoperability improvements in the energy sector.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner; National/state government or energy policy makers

Access

Energy communities' impact on grids - Energy community embedment increasing grid flexibility and flourishing electricity markets

Discussion paper

This paper first gives a brief overview of energy communities developments, followed by an analysis of the impact of large-scale implementation of energy communities on the power grids. This is pursued by discussing economic processing in the power industry and business organization, as both are crucial for promoting viable energy communities. The paper finalizes conclusions and recommendations on innovation and research activities

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers; Local/regional government ; DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

Aggregator roles in digitalized power system

Discussion Paper

This discussion paper investigate how aggregators can improve the TSO-DSO-Customer coordination in a digitalised power system by analysing existing policies, their role, possible coordination approaches, and addressing (non-) technical challenges. One main challenge identified is the need for interoperable solutions with standardized communication protocols.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner; National/state government or energy policy makers; Local/regional government

Access

Aggregator roles in digitalized power system

Policy Brief

This policy brief investigate how aggregators can improve the TSO-DSO-Customer coordination in a digitalised power system. One main challenge identified is the need for interoperable solutions with standardized communication protocols.

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers; Local/regional government

Access

Flexibility and its impact on stakeholder interaction

Discussion Paper / Key messages /Survey results

Identification of existing data exchange platforms and methods to facilitate an increased efficiency of the operation and planning of modern networks in the future and to utilize flexibility to its full potential. Also the future needs are investigated.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

Data-sharing standards and protocols: UK Insights

Technical paper

A technical paper presents insights from the work carried out in the UK by the Energy Data Taskforce and how its recommendations pertain to and align with flexibility service provisions and market developments in the UK

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers

Access

ANM4L

Projecy Key Messages

oolbox for DSOs to evaluate various alternative grid development solutions for desicion support in grid development. Provides knowledge of which alternatives that exsists.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

Advanced methodology and tools taking advantage of storage and FLEXibility

Final summary of project activities, conclusions and recommendations

Regulatory conclusions and simulation tools of the FlexPlan project on the possible role of flexibility to displace grid investments

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers

Access

Aggregator roles in digitalized power system

Discussion Paper

This discussion paper investigate how aggregators can improve the TSO-DSO-Customer coordination in a digitalised power system by analysing existing policies, their role, possible coordination approaches, and addressing (non-) technical challenges.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner; National/state government or energy policy makers; Local/regional government

Access

Architectural change in accelerating transitions: Actor preferences, system architectures, and flexibility technologies in the German energy transition

Paper

ransition pathway, actors, decentralization

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers

Access

Model-Based Evaluation of Decentralised Electricity Markets at Different Phases of the German Energy Transition

Paper

energy markets, decentralization

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers

Access

Challenges for Electricity Network Governance in Whole System Change: Insights from Energy Transition in Norway

Paper

innovations in regulation

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers; Local/regional government, DSO

Access

Is small beautiful? A framework for assessing decentralised electricity systems

Paper

decentralization, social aspects

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers; Local/regional government, DSO

Access

Together We’re Smart! Flemish and Dutch Energy Communities

Paper

energy communities, replication

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers; Local/regional government

Access

Factsheet on Flexibility Indicator Taxonomy

Fact sheet

This factsheet provides a framework to identify and quantify flexibility potential across various customers who have flexible resources for utility planners and operators. As flexibility potential varies spatially and temporally, having a simplified methodology will be critical to understand the flexibility potential within different segments of the electric grid.

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers

Access

Smartgrideval tool

Cost Benefit Analysis tool including Multi criteria evaluation

Tool which aids decision-makers by enabling the comparison of various planning or technological alternatives. Additionally, this tool facilitates a comprehensive evaluation process by allowing the consideration of multiple perspectives to determine the most suitable decision.

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers; Local/regional government; DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

Network planning and decision making under uncertainty

Policy Brief

How to handle uncertainty, complexity, new risks and threats? - New tools to compute the metrics / indicators /KPIs; Country specific solutions, Relevant projects and R&D outcomes

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers

Access

Network planning and decision making under uncertainty

Discussion Paper

How to handle uncertainty, complexity, new risks and threats? - New tools to compute the metrics / indicators /KPIs; Country specific solutions, Relevant projects and R&D outcomes

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

ANM4L

Projecy Key Messages

Toolbox for DSOs to evaluate various alternative grid development solutions for desicion support in grid development. Provides support for defining the company policy.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

Advanced methodology and tools taking advantage of storage and FLEXibility in transmission and distribution grid PLANning

Final summary of project activities, conclusions and recommendations

Regulatory conclusions and simulation tools of the FlexPlan project on the possible role of flexibility to displace grid investments

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers

Access

The merits of becoming smart: How Flemish and Dutch energy communities mobilise digital technology to enhance their agency in the energy transition

paper

energy communities, ICT, interoperability

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers; Local/regional government

Access

Community Energy Meets Smart Grids: Reviewing Goals, Structure, and Roles in Virtual Power Plants in Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands

Paper

Aspects addressed energy communities, VPP

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers; Local/regional government, DSO

Access

Smartgrideval tool

Cost Benefit Analysis tool including Multi criteria evaluation

Tool which aids decision-makers by enabling the comparison of various planning or technological alternatives. Additionally, this tool facilitates a comprehensive evaluation process by allowing the consideration of multiple perspectives to determine the most suitable decision.

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers; Local/regional government; DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

Strategic decision-making support for distribution system planning with flexibility alternatives

paper

In the paper, the methodology behind the smartgrideval tool is described and applied through the comparison of four planning alternatives (including network reinforcement and flexibility)

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

Multi-Criteria Analysis for decision making applied to active distribution network planning

paper

In this paper, a systematic and automatized approach for project selection based on Multi-Criteria Analysis is proposed for assessing a large set of planning alternatives

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

A joint Multi Criteria - Cost Benefit Analysis for project selection on smart grids

paper

In the paper, a combined MC-CBA assessment framework is proposed through a case study focused on the decision-making problem of smart grid planning alternatives

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

Network planning and decision making under uncertainty

Discussion paper

A discussion paper to build a common understanding and to exchange knowledge on a wide variety of topics related to grid planning. Considers on a high level on how to handle uncertainty, complexity, new risks and threats. Highlights some functional needs for new tools to capture all aspects that should be considered. Include hig level descriptions of some country specific solutions. Contains a list of relevant projects and R&D outcomes including links.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

ANM4L

Projecy Key Messages

Toolbox for DSOs to evaluate various alternative grid development solutions for desicion support in grid development. Help in identifying which alternatives that are possible to use to meet the specific grid development need.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

ReFlex Guidebook for the replication of use-cases tackling the flexibility challenge in smart energy systems

technical report

planning tools, business models, mission models, citizen engagement, sandboxing

Target audience 

Local/regional government, DSOs

Access

Barriers to incorporate distributed flexibility in operational and long-term planning

Fact sheet

The factsheet looks into main barriers for using distributed flexibility in operational and long term planning. The main barriers identified based on EU and non-EU power systems were technical barriers, consumer engament barriers and regulatory barriers.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner: DSO/DNO, Local energy planners

Access

Characterization of the Electric Energy System in view of Flexibility Usage

Technical Report

A detailed report investigating the whole picture of market design based on general market design, flexibility market design and flexiblity services for system operators. The report covers EU and non-EU (Austria, Canada, India, and Korea) and discusses some of the common issues faced internationally

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers

Access

Smartgrideval tool

Cost Benefit Analysis tool including Multi criteria evaluation

Tool which aids decision-makers by enabling the comparison of various planning or technological alternatives. Additionally, this tool facilitates a comprehensive evaluation process by allowing the consideration of multiple perspectives to determine the most suitable decision.

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers; Local/regional government; DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

Supporting a Sustainable Multi-Energy Planning: The Case Study of Sulcis Iglesiente Province in Italy

Poster

The poster reports a three-step methodology that integrates open-source tools to identify and compare optimal planning alternatives according to several sustainability indicators and select the most suitable solution.

Target audience 

National/state government or energy policy makers; Local/regional government;

Access

Distribution Systems as Catalysts for Energy Transition Embedding Flexibility in Large-Scale Applications

Paper

The aim of the paper is to analyze and demonstrate how integrating flexibility in power distribution systems can optimize network planning, manage uncertainty, and support the energy transition towards increased electrification and renewable energy, using a probabilistic and risk-oriented approach.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner; Local/regional government;

Access

Risk-oriented planning for flexibility-based distribution system development

Paper

The paper presents a risk-based distribution network planning procedure to perform a comparison (in terms of costs and associated residual risks) among conventional planning solutions and the exploitation of flexibility purchased from distributed energy resources through bilateral contracts or local markets.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner;

Access

Techno-Economics Evaluation of Electrolyser Technologies: Multicriteria Decision Making with SmartgridEval

Paper

The document explores the integration of green hydrogen comparing various electrolyser technologies through a detailed techno-economic study using the ISGAN SmartGridEval tool.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner; National/state government or energy policy makers;

Network planning and decision making under uncertainty

Discussion paper

How to handle uncertainty, complexity, new risks and threats? - Lfit up the need for new tools to compute the metrics / indicators / KPIs.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

ANM4L

Projecy Key Messages

Toolbox for DSOs to evaluate various alternative grid development solutions for desicion support in grid development. Support in selection among alternatives.

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Access

Flexibility for resilience

paper

how to consider how different solutions contributes to the resilience

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Active system management by DSOs

Discussion paper/Summarizing report

Active system management by DSOs. Applicability of different flexibility mechanisms for DSOs and their trade off with investments

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Active system management by DSOs

Discussion paper/Summarizing report

Active system management by DSOs (Design challenges of market based flexibility procurement by DSOs; Supporting grid tools for ASM by DSOs)

Target audience 

DSO/Utility/Grid Owner

Possible Design Elements of Consumer Support Schemes

Fact sheet

A brief factsheet that describes possible design elements to consider for support schemes aimed at final electricity customers.

Target audience 

Local/regional government

Access

ISGAN Library

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