This paper proposes a new approach - set up within the REALISEGRID research project - for speeding up approval procedures for building transmission infrastructure. The experiences of Transmission System Operators from Netherlands, Italy, France, Austria and Germany are studied in order to generalize and pinpoint the main weaknesses and strengths of current approval procedures. Recommendations concerning how to reduce the time needed for approval procedures are made. The problem of consensus improvement is also analysed. Suggestions for better structuring of the decision process in transmission planning, with high involvement of stakeholders, are made. A systemic approach for speeding up authorization procedures is proposed by combining the country survey and the consensus improvement findings. Actions are defined on different time horizons.@en

Wind power plants show different behavior than conventional (synchronous) generators. As the traditional power systems mainly consisted of centralized generation by synchronous machines feeding passive loads, it was well-understood how the system reacted in normal operation as well as during disturbances. As wind power plants are foreseen to increase in size and the amount of installed wind power will grow, the relative contribution of equipment not exhibiting this common behavior increases. At the same time power electronics offer opportunities for additional features to stabilize the power system. Transmission system operators impose requirements on the (dynamic) capabilities of connected new generation resources (including wind power plants) which are specified in grid codes. In this paper, the importance of such requirements is explained by looking at the needs of the power system and by showing simulation results for a test network. The paper facilitates a detailed understanding of the underlying phenomena related to grid code requirements with a focus on low-voltage ride-through and voltage support by reactive current boosting.@en

The ongoing liberalization process in Europe together with the growing penetration of renewable energy sources (RES), e.g. wind power, require an internationally oriented transmission planning approach that considers the increased uncertainties in terms of trade, location of generation and output of intermittent RES. This paper identifies and ranks bottlenecks, which is the first step of the transmission expansion planning process of interconnected transmission grids. A round-the-year approach is adopted by combining market simulations with static security analysis. Many combinations of load and generation (including renewables) are created and analyzed, using unit dispatch based on cost optimization. For each combination the branch loadings are determined for normal and contingency situations. A statistical risk-based approach for ranking the most severe bottlenecks is developed. The method is illustrated on a modified New England test system where wind power was added at several buses. A regional analysis and a detailed per-area analysis are presented.@en