Energinet’s dynamic line rating improves overhead capacity by up to 30%

Dynamic line rating via a smart algorithm combined with weather forecasting has raised Energinet’s overhead line transmission capacity for as much as 90% of the time, the Danish TSO has reported.

Energinet has implemented the dynamic line rating on around 20 lines so far and plans are to continue on about 70 more by the end of the year.

The locations are selected based on where the technology provides the most value, typically in areas with a significant capacity of wind turbine or solar installations where large amounts of power are being generated, potentially in excess of the capacity of the lines.

Traditionally an upper limit has been set on the capacity of the overhead lines but with the dynamic line rating, Energinet has been able to rethink and redefine the levels,” explains project manager, Thomas Strømdahl Nygaard.

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“Instead of a fixed safety margin and a very conservative limit on how much power we can allow to send through the overhead lines, it is now possible to move the limit up and down, depending on what the weather conditions are like at that particular hour. In this way, we can make better use of the existing electricity grid and we can go closer to the limit because we can calculate exactly where the limit is in real time.”

Energinet has calculated that the dynamic line rating makes it possible to transport away up to 30% more power in high wind generation areas on a windy day, which previously has been lost due to the line capacity restrictions.

Moreover, the company has estimated that the service can increase the transmission capacity of the lines for almost 22 hours out of every 24 in the day throughout the year, and thereby enable the delivery of more renewable generation to customers.

Energinet expects to have fully implemented the dynamic line rating by the start of 2024.

Overall, the benefit through the delivery of the increased electricity supply is estimated at DKK400 million (US$57 million) by 2030.

The company cautions, however, that it cannot replace the need for the future expansion of the grid to integrate the increasing renewable capacity and is a step to meeting the challenges in the interim.