CIRED, the major International Electricity Conference & Exhibition is the leading Forum where the Electricity Distribution Community meets every two years in various venues in Europe, with a world-wide perspective and participation. The 2013 CIRED Conference is the 22nd in the series and will take place near Stockholm, at the Kistamässan exhibition and events center in Kista.

Conference topic (June 10-13)

Session 2 – Power Quality and Electromagnetic Compatibility

Session 2 deals with Power Quality, with the more general concept of Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) and with some related safety problems.

• Power Quality: voltage continuity (supply reliability, problem of outages) and voltage quality (conducted low-frequency disturbances)
• EMC: electromagnetic compatibility (high frequency transients, phenomena and conducted disturbances, electromagnetic interferences)
• EMF: electric and magnetic fields issues
• Safety: electrical safety and immunity concerns (lightning issues, step, touch and transferred voltages)

Preferential Subjects

Power Quality (PQ)

Low frequency disturbances measurement, characterisation and mitigation; industrial and academic experience

1. Computational and analytical techniques for PQ assessment
2. Techniques for disturbance sensing, monitoring, analysis and diagnosis (hardware, algorithms, software)
3. Improvements in PQ measurement and monitoring standards, influence of transducers accuracy
4. Proposals for standardised methods of measurement for rapid voltage changes, transients and signalling
5. Methods for automatically processing large amounts data
6. Standard PQ data format and communication protocols
7. Development of combined PQ indices (“total PQ index”)
8. Disturbances and interference due to new types of loads, (electric heat pumps, LED lamps, EV chargers)
9. Long-term monitoring of the disturbance emission of LV mass-market equipment
10. Typical values of the number of voltage dips at different voltage levels and in different types of networks
11. Non-typical disturbances, like interharmonics, even harmonics and disturbances in the range 2 to 150 kHz (emission and immunity of equipment, slow and fast voltage-magnitude variations, standardisation needs)
12. Passive/active filters, disturbance compensators, mitigation equipment

PQ management, planning and operating strategies

1. Financial impact of PQ disturbances on customers and utilities
2. Novel methods for PQ improvements, including “power-quality markets”
3. Examples of good industry practice and good regulatory practice, including new proposals

How will acceptable power quality be achieved in the future electricity network (the smartgrid)?

1. PQ impact of the renewable (PV, wind…), distributed energy resources and associated storage systems
2. PQ impact of the load flexibility and demand side management techniques and systems
3. Strategies and methodologies to include PQ requirements in advanced distribution automation schemes
4. Possible higher variability of short-circuit level and its consequence on PQ management
5. Use of smart meter data for the purpose of PQ monitoring and compliance assessment, cost-effectiveness?
6. Interference between equipment and smart meters, including power-line communication
7. PQ challenges in microgrids
8. Smartgrid technologies for PQ management, alternative (smart) methods for PQ standardisation

EMC – electromagnetic compatibility

• High-frequency conducted disturbances and Electromagnetic Interference issues (EMI), especially in the context of smart grids
• Low frequency interference, impact on metallic installations (pipelines, communication lines)
• EMC of smart meters and Intelligent Electronic Devices used in smart grids
• Disturbances related to Power Line Communication systems (PLC)
• Earthing issues

EMF – Electric and magnetic fields

• Electric and magnetic fields characterisation (measurements, simulation, indices…), standardisation and regulation
• Mitigation techniques (shielding, active compensation)
• Risk communication

Safety issues

• Lightning overvoltages and lightning protection
• Ground potential rise and neutral grounding practices, step and touch voltages
• Safety issues in smart grids and microgrids

CIRED, the major International Electricity Conference & Exhibition is the leading Forum where the Electricity Distribution Community meets every two years in various venues in Europe, with a world-wide perspective and participation. The 2013 CIRED Conference is the 22nd in the series and will take place near Stockholm, at the Kistamässan exhibition and events center in Kista.