We attended a workshop of the CIRED HDO working group

The Czech CIRED Committee / CIRED Czech Committee / CK CIRED / organized a workshop of its Working Group on Subscription Management using HDO on 4 – 6 October in the Relax Hotel in Dolní Vltavice near Lipno. MicroStep-HDO, as a member of the CIRED Czech Committee and the HDO working group, was represented at the workshop by the Commercial and Technical Director Ing. Ivan Trup.

CK CIRED

The Czech Committee of CIRED – Congres International des Reseaux Electriques de Distribution is part of the world’s largest organisation in the field of distribution networks. CIRED is primarily a respected international forum for experts working in the fields of research, design, manufacturing, operation and maintenance of distribution systems.

CIRED has 62 collective, individual and honorary members from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, experts work in 6 sections:

• Elements of networks
• Power quality and EMC
• Operation, control and protection of power systems
• Distributed sources and use of electricity
• Development of networks
• Management, organisation, qualification

Working Group Demand Response Management with HDO

In the structure of CIRED, the working group Demand Response Management with HDO belongs to the section Operation, Control and Protection of Power Systems. The experts of the working group primarily deal with the issue of technical HDO equipment, in particular the operation, planned renewal and construction of HDO transmitters in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The portfolio of the HDO Demand Side Management working group also includes the development concept, status and evolution of components. The group’s experts also address the potential risks of operating HDO systems from different distribution system operators transmitting on the same frequency.

At the workshop, representatives of the members of the working group discussed a number of topical issues and areas:

• operation of 400 and 220 kV networks in 2021
• operation of HDO systems in Czech and Slovak distribution companies
• construction and reconstruction of HDO transmitters in the Czech Republic between 2021 and 2023
• HDO signal propagation in conditions of deployment of new sources of dispersed generation
• innovation and standardisation of HDO technical means
• central automation and HDO receivers

Selected members of the CIRED CC presented several topics at the workshop:

• the impact of the involvement of the superior system networks on the operation of the HDO system in the Czech Republic, the management plan of the 400 and 220 kV networks, including transformers for 2021
• parallel operation of HDO transmitters in border areas of distribution companies
• HDO signal propagation in emergency 110 kV networks, measures to limit undesired phenomena
• new requirements for the operation of HDO vn and vvn transmitters in connection with the reduction of load tone impedances
• smart grids and the impact on the operating time of HDO systems in the Czech Republic and Slovakia
• changes in legislation and PPDS related to HDO issues
• the effect of the installation of capacitor banks in HV networks to support the voltage on the propagation of the HDO signal

The era without HDO is coming

At the workshop, Microstep-HDO’s Commercial and Technical Director Ivan Trup presented a vision of the end of the HDO lifecycle and what a world of energy without HDOs would look like. He also detailed the potential risks of a safe transition from HDO to AMM. Among other things, he predicted the inevitability of the need for a new control system and the coexistence of HDO with AMM by 2027.

In this context, Microstep-HDO is preparing:

in the XAURON and XENERGIE product lines

• new algorithms for optimization and performance management
• a new computational kernel for running algorithms directly in Python
• even stronger connection to cloud services

in the field of control units and the VARIOSTEP product line

• new operating environment
• stronger security
• SNMP monitoring
• support CISCO standards
• new stand-alone installations on the MICRORT model C platform
• New HEMS units for local control in OPM without DSO

Meaningful workshop

Members of the CIRED HDO Working Group and distribution companies experienced a busy three-day programme at the workshop in Dolní Vltavice. In addition to expert presentations and discussions on a wide range of topics related to HDO, they also shared and exchanged their valuable experiences with each other.

Source: CK CIRED