Interview with:
Panagiotis Pediaditis
Researcher at National Technical University of Athens
Interviewer: Panagiotis Pediaditis, the Network Tariffs Model is one of the key results of the Platone project whose development was coordinated by the consortium partners National Technical University of Athens and the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator S.A. (HEDNO). Let´s assume I am a member of the IT department at a Greek DSO. I mostly spend my days implementing digital solutions for our business. I am also responsible for finding products that could fit the current needs of our company. We currently want to increase the efficiency of our network’s resources both in temporal and spatial contexts. Therefore, we want a tool that can leverage the existing infrastructure, be easily implemented, and communicate with legacy systems already in place. As a large organization, the solution must also be scalable. Having a tool that can yield flexibility can help us improve our services further by avoiding grid congestions, reducing voltage or thermal line limit violations, as well as minimizing demand and generation curtailment costs. Furthermore, an increased number of PVs have been installed in our network in recent years and there is a constant upward trend. Therefore, our managers are seeking ways to best utilize the flexibility of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). Looking at the Platone Network Tariffs Model – does it address the challenges of this DSO?
Panagiotis Pediaditis: Yes, our open-source and license free Use-of-System tariff design tool might just be what this DSO is looking for. You can easily learn more about our framework in the relevant publications.
Interviewer: If the regulatory department of the DSO will be able to make use of the approach, what about support? Who is available to grant help if needed? How can the DSO get in touch with you?
Panagiotis Pediaditis: The interested party could reach out to me, Panagiotis Pediaditis (panped@mail.ntua.gr), to the Smart RUE-Smart grids Research Unit of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the NTUA (https://www.ece.ntua.gr/en/article/492) or to Stavroula Tzioka (S.Tzioka@deddie.gr) at HEDNO.
Interviewer: Is there a way to increase the algorithm’s efficiency?
Panagiotis Pediaditis: Better observability (State Estimation), larger datasets and increased granularity in the tariffs can improve efficiency of the algorithm.
Interviewer: Can the algorithm for variable Use-of-System tariffs be implemented in a larger area of interest?
Panagiotis Pediaditis: Yes, the method can be applied in all sizes of distribution networks. It might be necessary to leverage some more computational power for very large networks.
Interviewer: Do the weather conditions play a significant role in the proposed solution efficiency?
Panagiotis Pediaditis: No, the method is designed to account for patterns in demand and generation (including weather).
Interviewer: One more question after looking a bit deeper into your solution: are there any training materials the DSO could use to help with internal distribution?
Panagiotis Pediaditis: The method and its different synergies have been reported and explained in detail in a series of peer-reviewed academic papers as well as in Platone delivarables. Until now we don’t have extensive tutorials or manuals. But we could offer webinars or on-premises workshops as a service if a potential user is interested.
Interviewer: In case a DSO has successfully implemented and tested your solution and wants to sign a support contract that includes training sessions and stand-by support to ensure further development of the tool internally as well as better understanding of such processes in general within the organization, is this possible?
Panagiotis Pediaditis: Even though this solution was created in a scientific project, we made sure that interested parties can always reach out to us. The dedicated support needs to be remunerated though.
Interviewer: Thanks a lot for the interview, Panagiotis Pediaditis!
