19 February – currENT, the voice of innovative grid technologies in Europe, has today released its very first edition of ‘Recommendations for DSO project deployments’ – a first of its kind ‘handbook’ for the deployment of innovative grid technologies at the DSO level.  

 “We know that an extraordinary amount of renewable energy will need to be connected to the DSO grid in the coming decades’ says Layla Sawyer, the Secretary General of currENT, “yet it is still a big challenge for many DSOs to be aware and make use of the full range of new technologies being developed. In part this is because the technical assurance and procurement of new technologies is done differently at the DSO level than at the TSO level, and there is less manpower available for these kinds of studies.”  

 In this first edition, currENT covers some key technologies that can make a difference at the DSO level, including Digital Twin technologies, Advanced Conductors, Dynamic Line Rating, Monitoring Sensors, and Modular Power Flow Control. As these technologies are constantly evolving, this publication is planned to become a living, breathing document, and will cover an even wider scope of technologies in future editions.  

 “It was important for us to recognize and show the sizable contribution these technologies will make to distribution networks and while understanding develops for these technologies, that there is already the support and knowledge that DSOs need to build and operate these on mass” says Mark Norton, chair of currENT’s DSO working group. “We look forward to an open dialogue with DSOs and the wider community on why and how to safely fast track the deployment of innovative grid technologies at the DSO level to meet the growing need.” 

Download the full paper here.