Congestion-Driven Positioning of Grid Enhancing Technologies

Transition towards low carbon electricity networks increases the bottlenecks in transmission networks which necessitates transmission network expansion. Yet, traditional transmission network expansion which relies on building new transmission lines is challenging due to the limited rights of way, long development lead times and capital intensive investment requirements. Grid enhancing technologies such as power flow control devices, and dynamic line rating are expected to play a crucial role in reducing transmission network congestion in low-carbon electricity networks. Nevertheless, there are limited decision-making tools which can assist the stakeholders to select the most appropriate grid enhancing technology for different locations of the network. In this paper, we examine the feasibility regions of bulk power systems to determine the influencing factors on congestion-driven positioning of grid enhancing technologies. Depth and duration of congestion are introduced as the determining factors for selecting the appropriate grid enhancing technology. It is demonstrated that these influencing factors can be monetized to justify the installation and deployment of the grid enhancing technology. The significance of the influencing factors are demonstrated by characterizing the feasibility region of a three-bus test system.