Project Description
The (TR)ansmission (I)nvestment (P)lanning or TRIP Project
A strengthened pan-European grid would enable wider electricity trade, and potentially improve reliability. It can also facilitate the low-cost integration of renewable sources of power such as solar and wind by allowing cross-continental flows and exploiting geographic diversity effects.
A transition is occurring- but what is the most desirable way to encourage and structure this? Several issues arise:
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dealing with uncertainty: more complexity and risk in investment planning; a role for power flow controls
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planning over time: smooth evolution of investment needs clear remuneration rules
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balancing needs: consumer, generator, manufacturers, transmission operator/owner need to plan and should share costs
Manufacturers, utilities, generators, and policymakers are asking: are certain technologies or policies needed to remove barriers to development?
The TRIP project aims to disseminate new knowledge about this subject. The project has the financial and advisory support of relevant industrial players from power equipment manufacturing (ABB), generation owners (Vattenfall) and network owner/operators (Elia TSO). The project has been spearheaded by:
As part of the power system planning research branch of principal investigator Prof. Dirk Van Hertem, KU Leuven staff are building new tools and optimization frameworks to deliver new insights into this on-going evolution.