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NETWORK / 23 / JULY/AUGUST 2016 own supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and DMS, allowing it to remotely control 2,500 high-voltage and medium-voltage substations. There are also 426,000 medium- and low-voltage substations across Italy, 30% of which are also remote controlled. Enel says having the smart meter data is game-changing. With 26GW of distributed generation installed on its network, experience is no longer enough to manage the system. Every day the power ‰ ows are diŠ erent, with renewable output impossible to predict accurately, mainly due to changes in the weather. This means even the smallest change runs the risk of potentially tripping signi‹ cant sections of the network. The ‹ rst main bene‹ t of the DMS is to ‹ nd the most eŒ cient topography of the system. When the soŽ ware was implemented three years ago, Enel calculated that 20% manipulation of the network would save 80% of energy loses. But the ever-increasing levels of renewables on the network mean this topography needs constant review. The company has written a guideline that has to be run every six months to ensure the best topography is being utilised. A second bene‹ t is in planning maintenance. In many cases it is possible to redirect ‰ ows only at certain times of the day where there is distributed generation due to sun intensity, thereby allowing assets to be disconnected from power. The DMS is able to calculate both the best topography and the time frames for maintenance. Another area where the DMS is irreplaceable is in resupplying an area aŽ er a large fault on more than one primary substation. The DMS automatically calculates a sequence of manipulations that need to be applied to resupply the area, such as suggesting boundary points that need to be closed to resupply feeders. But it also ‰ ags up to the operator how these decisions will aŠ ect other sections of the network. This sequence is then fed through to operators within the control centres who are able to implement them through the live SCADA system, which is set up to the same con‹ guration as the DMS. In real-time mode, all changes on the SCADA are inputted back into the DMS, aŠ ecting the predictive algorithm used to calculate energy ‰ ows and ensuring they remain as accurate as possible. The DMS has a second purpose: within the Smart Grid Laboratory itself for testing. The laboratory has a mock section of network installed beneath the ‰ oor. This allows Enel to test equipment for use in substations on a "live" network before it is installed in the ‹ eld. Components designed to Enel's speci‹ cations by diŠ erent manufacturers are tested simultaneously to ensure they all perform in exactly the same way. Alongside its smart grid operations, Enel is heavily involved in the e-mobility sector, and has recently partnered with automotive manufacturer Nissan in a series of vehicle-to- grid charging trials. The ‹ rst is underway in Denmark, with a second, larger, trial about to start in the UK (read more about this on page 34). There was a certain sense of irony at last month's Power Responsive event, held by National Grid in its system operator role. It's the second year the event has been held to raise awareness and understanding among businesses of the economic opportunities demand-side response holds. National Grid has been a fl ag-bearer for the technology, with director Cordi O'Hara telling Network last month that the company has worked with the Major Energy Users' Council to create a whole explanatory document for energy managers and is delivering a seminar programme to support the document. Delegates at the event were quick to sing the praises of Grid for its efforts to guide them through this unfamiliar territory. Yet, at the same time the Energy and Climate Change Committee (ECCC) was calling for a revolution in system operation. National Grid has been adamant that it can continue despite concerns about confl icts of interest. It is supported by Ofgem, which says any confl icts can be managed "for the moment". The ECCC's call for an independent system operator was not much of a surprise, but the strength with which it said it was. The fi nal report for the committee's Low Carbon Network Infrastructure investigation called for an ISO "as soon as possible", urging the government to action. This is a direct contrast to the National Infrastructure Committee's fi ndings earlier this year that an ISO was not a priority. The ECCC's reasoning is that National Grid will not be able to perform its role without bias towards its own interconnector assets, despite several in-depth investigations into National Grid's operations fi nding no evidence of wrongdoing. Opportunity is enough, the ECCC has ruled. In practice, an ISO is unlikely to happen soon for several reasons. First, there is no appetite for it in the energy industry. Second, security of supply is too important, especially in this post-Brexit era. And third, separating National Grid's businesses out – because this is what the ECCC is actually calling for rather than a new organisation to come in and take over – would be a diffi cult and messy divorce. SY S T E M S P L I T Deputy editor Lucinda Dann considers the developments in the argument for an ISO