Use case description, specification and implementation roadmap report

The role of distributed energy resources is increasing significantly in electrical power systems due to many environmental, economical, and political drivers. This transition has also put the electrical distribution grid in a central role. The challenges arising from this transition are largely being addressed under Smart Grid (SG) initiatives. Although there is no standard definition, in general, a smart grid refers to a method of incorporating intelligence into the operation of distribution grids to increase flexibility and performance. For electrical power systems, Alternating Current (AC) distribution grids are a well-known infrastructure that has been in use for a long time. This infrastructure can be assisted by Direct Current (DC) technologies as a possible backbone to increase, for example, Renewable Energy Sources (RES) hosting capability; however, they must be designed on a solid basis to allow for rapid roll-out and integration. It is critical to provide and test suitable methodologies and resources to lower entry barriers for early adoption processes to maximise the implementation capability of new DC technologies.

The HYPERRIDE project aims to support this transition toward the transformation in the electrical grid infrastructure by laying the groundwork for widespread adoption of DC technology. The future distribution grid both at the Low Voltage Direct Current (LVDC) component to Medium Voltage Direct Current (MVDC) backbone is planned to be demonstrated at three pilot sites(Germany, Italy, and Switzerland) implementing relevant use cases. These pilots will provide valuable insights as well as help in identifying the gaps in knowledge and possible solutions for the various focus areas. The use cases to be used for the implementation are documented in this deliverable along with the standards and background, the methodology and the analysis.

To perform a systematic analysis to discover the use cases that would be interesting to implement and cover the goals of the project, a well-thought-over methodology is needed. This methodology should be based on the well-known standard and reference architectures to make the communication and dissemination among the consortium and beyond be made easy and effective. A methodology is derived based on National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and SGAM to identify first the context and boundaries and defining the use cases.

With the help of partners, several workshops are conducted to collect the inputs. These inputs provided the basis for the analysis that later resulted in the form of the summary use cases. These summary use cases are then debated in the workshops and, based on the aim of the pilot, are adopted for the development of the detailed use uses. The detailed use cases are then documented using International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) "Use Case Methodology" method using IEC 62559-2 templates. The background, methodology and analysis, and the summary use cases are described in detail in this report while the adopted and detailed use cases for individual pilot sites implementations are included in the three appendices of the document.