The entry into force of the new operating procedures of Red Eléctrica introduces greater demands on the systems of Generation and Demand Control Centers (CCGD). It is necessary to process the setpoints from the various procedures that coexist in order to manage plant operation and the services they provide to the grid. The new Bluence® Delegated Dispatch by Isotrol is designed to meet any requirement—present or future—in this regard.

Renewable energy generators face a series of challenges when adapting their plants to the new requirements for grid integration. One of these challenges is adapting the services of the so-called delegated dispatch centers for managing information exchange with the CECRE system and processing plant setpoints.

With the implementation of the new operating procedures, delegated dispatch centers participate in the Automatic Power Reduction System (SARP), the voltage control system, and the processing of: power reserve setpoints to increase or decrease output, ramp-up and ramp-down power setpoints, MRFP regulation, and secondary regulation setpoints, among others.

The new Bluence® Delegated Dispatch integrated by Isotrol was conceived as a sustainable solution that can adapt to changes in operating procedures. It leverages the full capacity and flexibility of the Bluence® platform and integrates a greater number of functionalities for monitoring, operation, and information management. In addition, it allows the integration of the different key system stakeholders, such as generation, demand, and storage.

Operating Procedures That Delegated Dispatch Centers Must Comply With

The main operating procedures that delegated dispatch centers must comply with are as follows:

- P.O. 9.2. (update in force): Specifies real-time information exchange with the system operator. It also establishes the required security for communication links via ICCP. It affects generation plants according to the thresholds defined in R.D. 413/2014 and is mandatory in nature.

– P.O. 3.11. (in force): Defines the Automatic Power Reduction System (SRAP) for production and pumping facilities. It specifies the real-time sending of power reduction commands in fast (5 s), medium (45 s), and slow (15 min) modes. It affects plants that voluntarily subscribe to the service.

– P.O. 12.2. SENP (in force): Establishes reserve power regulation setpoints to increase or decrease output, ramp-up and ramp-down setpoints, activation of MRPF regulation, and voltage setpoints. It affects generation plants in the non-peninsular system and is mandatory.

– P.O. 7.4. Voltage control and secondary reactive power market (pending entry into force): Defines the voltage control service. Generators—storage and demand included—must follow voltage, reactive power, and power factor setpoints. For shared connection points, it defines the setpoints to be met for a single Point of Service Provision (PPS). Voltage control is mandatory, while participation in the secondary reactive power market is voluntary.

– P.O. 7.2. (in force): Defined as a voluntary service for participation in secondary regulation services. It defines the shared regulation procedure and the obligations for regulation zones.

To this new scenario must also be added the requirement that plants providing the same service—such as regulation zones or Points of Service Provision (PPS)—must be managed from the same CCGD or dispatch center.

All of these forces delegated dispatch centers to manage multi-technology portfolios, with different asset subscriptions to the various operating procedures or contractual services, depending on commissioning date, plant size, or plant aggregations. In addition, they must be capable of managing assignments for different types of agents: generation, demand, and storage.

The technological challenge, therefore, is to respond in an agile and reliable manner, and to provide users with sufficient tools to monitor and control all information exchange, as well as to apply setpoints and ensure their compliance.

Configuration and Usability Requirements for CCGD

To achieve the required flexibility, a configuration model is needed that allows the integration of different types of installations: Physical Units (UF), Points of Service Provision (PPS), and Operating Procedures (PPOO). It is also necessary to establish the required hierarchical relationships between them.

This configuration makes it possible to integrate different types of generation plants assigned to different sets of operating procedures and to different groupings, which are necessary to provide certain services, as defined in the operating procedures. In this way, the system is equipped with a set of screens at the portfolio, operating procedure, and physical unit levels, adapted to the configuration of each installation and its associated services.

In addition, a system of this nature requires tools that provide the user with additional capabilities for monitoring, operation, and information querying, especially with regard to:

1. Ensuring Data Quality

In an operating system as critical as a delegated dispatch center, it is essential to have a system that guarantees the quality of the information displayed.

2. Alarm Generation and Visualization

To provide useful mechanisms for operation and setpoint management, the system must be able to trigger alarms when events relevant to operation occur. For example: receipt of setpoints, application of setpoints, or deviations from applied setpoints. It is also important to offer clear and orderly visualization of these alarms, as well as audible alerts and an acknowledgment mechanism.

3. Graphical Representation

To analyze the information received from plants (exchanged with the grid operator), processed setpoints, and the feedback received. This applies both to on-screen historical analysis and to exporting the information as a file.

4. Customizable Reporting

So that users can create their own reports, enabling automated information analysis and reporting to third parties about operations.

Isotrol’s Proposal to Effectively Address Changes in Operating Procedures

To meet these new requirements and address operational needs, Isotrol has designed the Bluence® Delegated Dispatch, which is capable of managing mixed portfolios and plant groupings, and integrating all services.

It is a flexible solution that adapts to new changes and procedures, and also allows modification of the subscriptions of each plant or grouping; generates alerts and notifications when setpoints are applied or not complied with; and enables easy access to all managed information. In addition, it features a user-friendly interface designed with usability in mind.

Its main tools and modules include:

– ICCP link module to manage communication and information exchange with CECRE via secure ICCP protocol, with redundancy and dual links.

– Versatile communications module, offering a wide variety of protocols for plant communication, and capable of managing timestamps and processing Sequence of Events (SoE) messages.

– Time-series information storage, integrated with HBASE technology and including storage policies to optimize disk space usage.

– Structured interfaces that present information in an orderly manner and allow agile processing of setpoints at any time. These include different screens with key information about physical units and Points of Service Provision, as well as the status of the different services for each operating procedure.

– Data Quality module to analyze received information and create bad-quality flags for readings when anomalies are detected.

– Powerful and flexible alarm module, with visual and audible alerts to help users manage and track different setpoints. It also includes a dual-acknowledgement mechanism to facilitate alarm management in multi-user or shared-use systems.

– Graph generation tool, visible on screen and exportable. It allows detailed consultation of all signals managed by the system, making it easy to analyze data and identify anomalies.

– Custom Report module, which enables end users to generate their own reports using templates, thereby automating information analysis and creating reports for third parties.

With this integrated solution built on the Bluence® platform, Isotrol provides a response to the changing needs of the sector, while continuously offering greater capabilities and tools to the companies it supports, enabling them to optimize their processes and, as a result, maximize profitability.

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