Taking an active approach

The United Kingdom is leading Europe in its power market reforms and is currently engaged in addressing issues of DG integration through development of innovative approaches to network planning, operation, regulation, and pricing. This article draws on these recent advances to explore active management technologies, developing regulatory arrangements for network operation, and new commercial opportunities emerging from the low-carbon climate change agenda. It explores the changing role of the distribution system operator (DSO) in response to increasing penetration of DG and identifies the transitions currently taking place in the United Kingdom toward integration of DG that has wider implications for extrapolation across Europe.