Workstream seven (WS7): 2030 distribution system

WS7 was established by the SGF to continue the ‘journey’ started by WS2 and continued by WS3; its purpose is to drill deeper into our understanding of what a future distribution network is and how it will operate. 

WS3’s Transform model provided detailed information about the smart solutions that might be deployed and in what volume. However, the Transform model was not designed to validate the technical viability of the system it foresaw.

WS7 is a natural further progression into the detail. We are now asking how we can ensure that the smart grid that Transform has described will be technically viable and, linking with WS6, what impacts this will have on the roles and responsibilities of a DNO.

WS7 has commissioned a study that is intended to carry out the technical analysis necessary to confirm in more detail how the network described by the Transform outputs will be realised. This will both confirm its technical viability and provide an understanding of its characteristics, for example, to identify what control co-ordination may be required to ensure reliable and robust whole-system operation. Most importantly, it will, from a technical perspective, highlight any new roles and responsibilities that a DNO will be required to accept.